Law of Cruelty
by godsofancientpast
Summary: In a post apocalyptic world Yuma must accept the fact that his destiny is greater than he thought. He now must work to stop the destruction of not only his world but another with the help of a broken and insane creature known as Black Mist. But with Astral and the user of the Emperor Key not understanding and the Barians trying to stop them it won't be easy. (Alternate Universe)
1. Key of Darkness

**This is another alernate universe and alternate story line fan fiction from the Yu-Gi-Oh realm, this one focusing on Zexal. Now before anyone complains, I am actually quite impressed with the thought put into the story line of Zexal. It's not the original that's true, but the story in itself isn't that bad. So I decided that I liked it enough to create another alternate story line with this story as well. Might as well branch out while I can right? I don't promise this to be good though. **

**This story is from an interesting perspective, though it will change perspective more than my last one. This one though involves Black Mist / Number 96 as one of the main characters. And guess what? He's not evil. It's kind of an odd take on his character, but again, this is an alternate universe Fan fiction. **

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal. This is a non profit fan made fan fiction. Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal belongs to Kazuki Takahashi, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo, Studio Dice, Shonen Jump, and (possibly) 4KIDS Entertainment.**

**Other details: **

**Possible tentacleshipping later on, rated T for blood, gore, mentions of torture, sweaing and rating may change, Alternate Universe and story line, Post Apocalyptic world, and it will end up being a rather long story. **

**Anyway, please enjoy and feel free to leave a review down below. Don't like Zexal? Please don't tell me it sucks because of that. If you don't like then don't read. Thank you.**

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><p>Chapter One: Key of Darkness<p>

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><p>Yuma gasped, running towards the smoking ruin that had been his house. This couldn't be happening! He had gone out to get their rations. Their town was one of the few that still gave out rations and hadn't descended into chaos. Most places after the collapse of internet and the wars that had raged across the planet were now full of people who were desperate and had become cruel because of this. Their town had been relatively peaceful, or at least as peaceful as it could be in a world that had fallen apart and was decaying slowly.<p>

That was of course, until Yuma had seen the smoke rising from the marketplace. He had grabbed his things and ran back as quickly as he could. What he had found froze his blood, even tough the heat of the flames bathed across his face and burned his skin. Without thinking of his own safety he dropped his bags and ran towards the still smoldering house.

He slipped in the rubble and fell, leaping up with a yelp as he received several burns from the fall. It hurt badly, but he wasn't about to just give up. He had to know where his parents were, and where his sister was. He refused to believe that they were dead. They couldn't be! They had moved here when he was still a child, during the time when the world had begun collapsing, and he didn't have any friends here. He hardly knew anyone. If they were gone then he would be all alone.

He ran first to his sister's room. It was completely destroyed, and so was his room. He searched through the rubble, wincing as the hot wood and destroyed possessions stung his face and his hands. He couldn't find any sign of her, and that gave him a little hope. Maybe she was still alive! Though he wasn't sure where she could have gone, or why she hadn't come to find him to tell him that everything was alright. He ran to the room that his parents shared, and he began to dig through it as well. There was nothing here either that said that they had died.

Now he was completely confused. What had happened? It seemed like arson to him, though he was sure that no one in the town would ever consider breaking the fragile peace that they held here that way. And why was his family not here? Did someone take them then? And why for? Yuma couldn't piece together anything from the odd puzzle. What was he supposed to make of something like that? He was unsure what he was supposed to do. What was he going to tell anyone? Surely someone else would have noticed by now. Maybe they would come and help him figure out the odd puzzle that he had just ended up in. Or maybe they would think that he did it.

Yuma looked around again, feeling tears in his eyes. He was pretty short for his age, but he was only thirteen after all. His hair as black and oddly spiked, and there were red spikes coming off of his bangs, and that gave him an odd look. His eyes too were a crimson color, giving his innocent eyes a strangely sinister look. He had become a bit of a cry baby, but then again he had watched his grandmother and several other members of his close family murdered right in front of him. He and his immediate family had managed to escape, and they had run as far away as they could before settling down in this peaceful town. They had been here for about five years. Yuma just couldn't understand why on earth it had to be shattered now.

Eyes flashed in his mind. Yes they were eyes, but unlike anything he had ever seen. Where the white of the eye should be was a dark black color. One was a golden color, and one was a gray color, dully shining like it had once been silver, though now it barely stood out against the darkness of the rest of the eye. Yuma leaped up, his heart hammering, and he looked around. He was almost sure that there was someone watching him. But there was no one. All of the other houses were abandoned now so that their owners could go and get their rations.

Slowly Yuma turned, looking through the rubble. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt like there was something there that he needed. Again those eyes flashed in his mind, and it startled him. But he felt like someone, or something, was calling him. He followed the call, though it wasn't a physical call, more like something he could just sense. He trudged on through the rubble, slipping a little and burning his hand more. But as he fell, he felt his hand brush something surprisingly cool.

He winced but plunged his hand into the rubble and pulled it out, gasping at what it was. It was the key. Or at least, that's what his father had told him it was. His father had loved going on travels before the apocalypse had happened. One day he had brought back this odd little thing, which was now hanging on a thread. How had it not burned up the string? What on earth was it?

Again those eyes flashed in his mind, and he felt the call stronger than ever. His father had brought home this odd key and people had warned him that it was nothing but trouble. Something like this had an odd air about it, not really evil, but sinister would be a better word. There was something haunted about it. But this key was from the last travel that he'd ever be able to go on, so his father had insisted on keeping it. He had left it in the small living room in the tiny three bedroom house, and ever since Yuma had first seen it he had been oddly drawn to it. He was always glancing at it, always creeping close. He had never touched it before, and now that he was he felt odd. He wanted to throw it away, but at the same time he felt like there was something precious in it. He again felt like he was being watched.

"Who's there?" he asked.

There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. But instead of finding the sound of silence comforting, he felt a little frightened by it. He looked down at the key again. It was a dark color, almost a dark purple, and it shone brightly. It was cool to the touch, though it was metal and had just been through a blazing fire. The cord it hung on was undamaged by the flames as well. That didn't make any sense! How on earth was it sill intact? Yuma stared at it a moment. And then he was taken over by a strong urge to put it on, like a necklace.

He slipped it onto his neck, and as it fell onto his chest he gasped. It felt like a heavy weight had settled onto his chest and mind. This time when he looked up, it wasn't at the wreckage that used to be his house. He was in a place that was full of darkness, and there was a long and narrow path. He shuddered, but he felt as if the key was calling him forward. He walked forward carefully, one step at a time as he watched his feet. He was terrified of falling, and he wasn't sure where he was going, but he kept on walking.

He neared a place where the path grew a little wider, and he looked up. He gasped a little as he saw the door. It was a huge and sinister looking thing. It had a face on it, twisted as if in fury, and chained shut with multiple chains that Yuma was sure he couldn't lift at all. The door seemed to be watching him a moment, and the eyes flared red. A voice seemed to float out of the darkness, the voice of a woman. And he could only stare, clutching at the key.

_Welcome traveler, _the voice said, the kind voice of a woman. _You have the key. _

Yuma gasped and looked down at the key in his hand. He quickly took it off, still clutching at the metal. The image didn't disappear. Instead he was left staring at the strange door and wondering what on earth was going on.

_You have nothing to fear, _she said, and her voice was a calming one, that of a mother. _You must open the door. You are the only one who can. For that key to choose you, your heart must be pure. That were the conditions set for sending him to earth._

"Him?" Yuma asked, "Who is He? And what's going on."

_I cannot tell you young one, _the voice said, and she truly sounded sorry. _Just know that this is of great importance. You must go and search for the numbers, but be warned. This power may yet come at a terrible price. There is a beast within, and you must tame him._

Yuma took a step back. A beast? He didn't want to go on some quest searching for...numbers? What the heck were those anyway? What was he supposed to do? His family was missing, why should he unlock some door and unleash some monster?

_No please, _the voice cried. _Please you must open the door! You must release him! You are the only one who has a chance to make him what he once was!_

Yuma froze. There was something about that voice that made his heart ache to hear it. It was again the voice of a mother, the voice of a desperate mother that was looking for some hope to have. Yuma thought of his own mother suddenly and felt a deep sting of pain and loss. He didn't even know where she was, and he felt lonely suddenly. The desperate tone of the other voice was what changed his mind. He stepped forward and raised the dark key in his trembling hand.

He found the key hole, which was as large as his fist. He slid his hand into it, and the key slipped into the key hole. Then he took a breath. He could feel those other eyes, stirring, looking at him. He steeled himself, and then turned the key hard. It nearly got stuck once, and he almost had to force it to turn the rest of the way. But he managed it. With a clunk the door opened.

Yuma sprang back as the chains burst apart and the door opened. There was nothing but a dark blackness inside of the door. He just stared at it a moment and felt those eyes on him again. He gasped and looked up again.

He looked around, confusion in his gaze. The key was still resting on his chest. He was staring again at the still smoking wreckage that was his home. What had happened? How long had he been gone? Was it all just a dream? He looked around carefully, trying to figure out what had happened.

"_This certainly is a mess,_" a dark male voice observed.

Yuma gasped and whirled around. There was a boy FLOATING behind him. Well, he assumed it was a boy. He was naked, but it certainly didn't seem like he needed any clothing either. His body was all black, with hair that was spiked up and curled forward slightly. His ears were pierced with some odd earrings that dangled in odd but elegant shapes. There were green marks all over his body, and blue gems. Then on his face was a red mark that curved down his nose and hooked over his eye brows, almost like horns. He was the one with those odd colored eyes, one gray and one gold settling into those dark black orbs.

Yuma screamed. He was startled, and he had heard tales of aliens, but he'd never seen one before. What else could this thing be but an alien? Those eyes suddenly grew hard and fierce, and he turned his eyes to him. Dark black tentacles sprouted out of his back and grabbed the terrified boy. They pinned his arms to his sides and his legs together so he couldn't move, and then one of them wrapped around his mouth to keep him from screaming again. Those sinister eyes leaned in close to his face, peering at him with anger.

"_Shut up,_" the creature growled. "_Do you want someone to find us? How are you going to explain me, and all of this to anyone?_"

Yuma paused. He hadn't thought about that. He looked at the creature nervously. Was this the beast that the woman had been talking about? He certainly could see why she called him that. There was something tensed about his body language, something haunted in his eyes. But more than that, there was something insane in those eyes, something that had snapped that made him a beast. Yuma just stared back into those eyes. The strange being sighed and looked at him piercingly.

"_What happened?_" he demanded. "_And who are you?_"

For a minute he just sat there, letting it sink in to Yuma that he was not in the mood to be lied to or trifled with. Not like Yuma had much of a choice but to tell him what was going on. He was sure that this thing would kill him if he gave him an answer that he didn't like. The tentacle slipped off of his mouth, and Yuma gasped a bit for air, then looked at the creature nervously. It's arms were expectantly folded in front of him.

"M-My name is Yuma," he said, not sure at all how he could understand the Alien. "I'm not really sure what happened. This is my home, and it was destroyed when I got here. But I found that key on the ground and I saw some sort of door. There was a woman there talking to me, and she told me to open the door. So I did and you showed up. Were you the one behind that door?"

There was silence from the alien. He just stared at the human who was nervous under his gaze, but not screaming and struggling anymore. A human? Why a human of all things? They were such a stupid people compared to many other races in the universe. But there was no deceit in his eyes, no trick. It was only a waiting stare, and a scared one. He still said nothing for a while. It was not in his nature any more to trust anything.

"_I don't think you're lying,_" he at last announced. "_But I still don't understand why. I was sent here with a mission and a promise. But why you? Why did my key call to you of all people? You seem easily scared and much too innocent for such darkness._"

"I don't know," Yuma cried. "The woman just told me that I needed to open the door and look for something called Numbers. She said that I was the only one who could have done it, something about conditions set on it."

This seemed to surprise the other being a little bit. He looked down suddenly, thinking, but his hold on the other boy didn't loosen at all. He could tell that he was getting nervous again. He was starting to struggle a little against him again. The woman could only be one person. His mother. There was still some sane part of his brain, somewhere in the back, the part that hadn't been affected by his...condition. He was wondering why on earth she would force this boy to be with him. They already all thought he was evil. He was just protecting himself, and he'd kill anyone to do it. And he wanted revenge as well, against his family, against his people, and against the people who had hurt him. Surely this spirit would be tainted by his own? There was nothing remotely strong about him. He looked up again at the human, looking him straight in his eyes.

"_Listen,_" he said. "_I won't repeat myself. My name is Black Mist, and I come from the planet Astral. My job was to come here and search for the missing Numbers that had been chased here by the Barians and are now scattered around on Earth. __To defeat the Barians who have started a war with us, we need the help of the other Numbers. __But I hate my family and the Barians, and if you get in my way I won't hesitate to kill you. __Got it kid?_"

"M-My name is Yuma," Yuma replied, unsure what to make of it. Barians? Astral? What on earth was going on?

Black Mist watched him for a moment more, his haunted eyes watching him for any sign of something to mistrust. If he saw anything then he would not hesitate to kill him. He wouldn't be taking any chances. But that was just it. He saw nothing. It confused him. He'd never met anyone without any darkness in his heart whatsoever. Without a word he released the boy, letting him fall to the ground with a hard thud and a yelp.

Yuma stood again carefully, watching the creature. Black Mist seemed to have lost interest in him completely, and his sinister eyes were looking over the wreckage. Yuma looked at him a moment, clutching at the key as if it could protect him, though he was almost sure that this wasn't the case at all. He looked at him a moment.

"U-Um," Yuma said. "Black Mist?"

Black Mist turned his head slightly to regard him a moment. He didn't even really look at him, but he was letting him know that he was paying attention to him, even if he was doing so in annoyance. Yuma paused a moment, but then looked up and met the strange creature's eyes.

"What's going on here?" Yuma asked. "Why wasn't the key destroyed in that fire?"

"_I don't know,_" he replied. "_It should have been. Maybe since the key had chosen you it had used some of my own power to __keep itself in tact, knowing that you would pick it up soon. It is a powerful magical object after all._"

"Magic?" the boy asked. Black Mist looked at him a moment.

"_You know of it?_" he asked.

"Well sort of," the boy replied. "We used to play this game called Yu-Gi-Oh with cards, but weird things just suddenly started happening. To play the game people use magic now, and a lot of people use it for bad things."

"_Weird things?_" Black Mist, seeming a little confused.

"Yeah the apocalypse kind of happened," Yuma said. The alien seemed extremely surprised now.

"_What?_" he gasped. "_But the end of the human world wasn't predicted until several millennium after this!_"

Now it was Yuma's turn to be surprised. Why was an Alien race predicting the end of his world? And just how long did they have left? Several could be a lot or just two. Black Mist seemed to ponder something a moment, and turned to look at the human.

"_This is strange,_" he said. "_Whoever came here knew exactly what this key would do, though not which one it was. They came looking for it, and whenever they couldn't find it they burned it down and then took the others that were here. Also the fact that your world has ended is something to think about as well. There are very few that know of the existence of the keys._"

"There are more of these things?" Yuma exclaimed.

"_There is only one other one,_" Black Mist replied, giving Yuma a calculating look. "_The one that seals my twin brother Astral. That is the Emperor Key. My key is the Darkness Key. The Numbers are the only thing that can save these worlds. That was what they were created for._"

"And we're supposed to go find these Numbers?" Yuma asked.

"_That depends,_" Black Mist said unhelpfully. "_I don't really want to work with you. You're weak and spineless. You're going to have to find someway to prove to me that you can be my partner. You're the holder of my key after all._"

Yuma got the distinct expression that what he had just said wasn't how this worked at all. But he could tell that Black Mist was unlike anything that he had ever encountered before. Who knows what he could do. He would rather have him as an ally, even an unwilling ally, than face his wrath. He just didn't care anymore. Something had made him snap. Yuma sighed.

"I guess I'll have to find a way then," he said. "But we need to get out of here now. Or we'll be forced to explain some things that won't be pleasant."

Black Mist paused a moment, seeming to stare at the boy a moment. His face was impassive, unreadable, but those beastly eyes were a little small and watching him, calculating. He was thinking, sizing the boy up. Yuma thought of the strange creature's tentacles again and had to fight not to shrink under his gaze. He did not want to be caught by that again. He had not been gentle with him at all. If he angered him, how much worse would it be?

"_Fine,_" Black Mist said, much to Yuma's relief. Black Mist was far too much like a live wire. "_Let's go. I'm stuck with you for now anyway._"

Yuma nodded and then turned, scrambling back over the debris to escape the charred skeleton of his house. He didn't really know where they were going, or how they were going to do it. Yuma's dueling magic had never been very strong, and he'd never been a very good duelist anyway. His family was missing and apparently kidnapped, and he was stuck with a completely insane alien that floated along after him. Black Mist snickered a little in amusement as Yuma nearly fell. Yuma felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. But he leaped free and turned to walk away.

Only he paused, much to Black Mist's annoyance. He had seen some sort of symbol carved into the ground. It was like nothing he had ever seen, complicated and drawn with curving and straight lines. He looked down at it, and then up at the annoyed alien, who was floating along on his back with a slight blue glow surrounding him.

"Black Mist do you know what this is?" he asked.

Black Mist made an annoyed sound and then turned to look. Instantly he froze, and Yuma could tell that he did indeed recognize it. He sat bolt upright, floating as if he would be standing now. And Yuma could almost see a little...terror? Black Mist was scared. But then he snarled and bristled, and Yuma could see why the woman had told him that he was a beast. He certainly looked like one now.

"_I should have known,_" Black Mist snarled. "_It's the Barians. They're the reason that this world is ending, and why the Numbers are missing. They were looking for my brother's key, and maybe even mine though I don't know why. Well kid, looks like you're going to be my partner after all._"

"What why?" Yuma asked. "Why the sudden change in heart?"

"_Because,_" Black Mist said, a slightly sadistic smile playing on his lips for a moment. "_The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We're going to get those Numbers and we're going to put an end to this._"

"I thought you said you hated your family," Yuma said. Black Mist turned his eyes to him again, and Yuma was reminded that he had threatened to kill him too.

"_That's true,_" he said. "_But I hate the Barians more. Much more. I'd do anything to stop their plans. They will pay for what they did to me. So you're going to be helping me. I hope you can stand up to my magic kid._"

"It's Yuma," Yuma cried again, getting tired of getting called kid by the alien.

Black Mist just stared at him in his insane, calculating fashion, and then he disappeared into the key, making it glow on Yuma's chest. He jumped and looked down at it, but it returned to normal and hung at his chest as if the creature hadn't existed at all. But Yuma could feel those watchful eyes and knew that he was indeed still there. He looked around quickly, but he knew that soon someone would figure out that something was wrong and would come running. He just knew that he had to get away, but he had more questions than answers.

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><p><strong>Note: these people can use what is called dueling magic, but they can very rarely summon more than a few monsters because it naturally takes a higher toll on them than playing the game. Yuma however with Black Mist's magic will have the ability to summon many more monsters than just those few because they will be collecting the Numbers and his people have been dueling this way in this universe for quite a while. <strong>

**There are probably some questions about this story, and so feel free to leave a comment below telling me how you think I'm doing and asking questions. If you think Tentacleshipping (lemon sorry) would be cool in this story then tell me below. Also, I'll be changing quite a lot in this story but again, it's an alternate universe story. **

**I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Blind Devotion

**Here we go again with chapter two. I'm not sure how much people are liking this story, because the first chapter just kind of happened, and quickly. This one starts our journey following our two very unlikely heroes. They obviously won't get along very well at first, but they'll Black Mist will start to warm up to Yuma little bit in this chapter. The magic is used in this story so it'll be less awkward to explain how they can summon the Numbers. Also the Number Hunter in this chapter is a OC that isn't around long obviously.**

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><p><strong>Shout out to Sakura Tsukumo, who was the first to review, favorite and follow. Thanks for that, though I'm not sure if this is the kind of tentacleshipping that you're thinking of. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story and give it a chance anyway. I put a lot of thought into this chapter. Also to YuGiOhRox for doing the same thing. I started this story so I could easily switch back and forth between the two, and I'm glad you seem to like it. And here's some more interaction definitely xD but I hope you enjoy since you're following me around on both stories xD<strong>

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><p><strong>Also yes, this story is ending up slowly evolving into tentacleshipping. Apparently I couldn't help but start to make them a couple. Also this story is a little odd because it's kind of a redeeming story for Black Mist. He eventually is going to be a nicer person because he once was. Not completely nice though, and he still kills people a lot. It'll be a sweeter story than what we usually see with Black Mist. But whatever, it's alternate universe. I can do what I want. XD Also for simplicity's sake I'm only going to be using the Emperor's Key Numbers.<strong>

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><p><strong>I hope you guys are enjoying this story!<strong>

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><p>Chapter Two: Blind Devotion<p>

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><p>Yuma nearly leaped out of his skin when he saw Black Mist reappear from his key with no warning. The strange creature just stared at him as was his way, looking for a way to find something untrustworthy about Yuma. Again he was dumbfounded to find nothing. He could see no hidden motives at all. Either he was very good at hiding his true face, or he really was that innocent. Yuma watched Black Mist nervously as he waited for his judgment. Black Mist silently passed it and then looked away, looking ahead again.<p>

"_How far have you gotten?_" Black Mist asked.

"Well," Yuma said. "Considering that I don't have any supplies and I look like I'm walking alone through the middle of no where I haven't gotten far. If anyone sees me they're going to try and attack me, you do know that right?"

"_If it comes to that then just summon me with your key,_" Black Mist sighed, sounding bored. "_If that doesn't scare them off then I can always duel them._"

"Yeah but if anyone sees you then they'll freak out and some of them might try to kill both of us," Yuma pointed out.

"_Unless they know who I am, which means they'd be Barian or Astrian, then they'll leave us alone,_" Black Mist said. "_And if they do that then I won't hesitate to kill them._"

Yuma looked up, and saw a look of insane glee plastered on his face. He sighed, which gained Black Mist's attention and made him look down at him. The look passed from his face, but Yuma could tell that there was something that he was hiding.

"Why do you want revenge on them so much?" Yuma asked. "I mean, why your family? Don't you love them?"

"_No,_" Black Mist snapped instantly. "_I hate them. They abandoned me!_"

"Abandoned you how?" Yuma asked quietly.

Black Mist glared at Yuma, telling him plainly that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about or would share with him. Yuma shrank a little under that glare. The darkness in those eyes were just so visible! He felt that if he stared into it long enough he would feel the same. He wasn't perfect, even Yuma had desires. And if he fell to the darkness that plagued Black Mist's heart then he would be just as dark and wanting harm on others. He was sure that Black Mist would have wanted nothing more than that. Then he could get his revenge. Yuma looked away from his eyes, looking ahead again. But he could still feel those angry orbs on him.

"Do you mind if I tell you about my past then?" Yuma asked gently.

"_Why?_" Black Mist snapped, annoyed by his tone. "_How can you be just so blindly trusting?_"

"Because I can tell that there's still something good left in you," Yuma said quietly.

This time Black Mist was quiet. He was deeply conflicted. Part of him hated the boy for that. He didn't want to be sane anymore. That meant he would have to face the pain that had plagued him for years. He didn't want to have to accept the fact that any of that had happened. His rage and lust for revenge were the only power he'd ever known. But the part of his mind that was still sane, somehow keeping him from killing everything he saw, the one that made him hesitate before when he could have killed the boy, was now listening, fully alert. Yuma was fully aware that he might have just really pissed Black Mist off, and he didn't want to have to face him in that mood.

"Well," Yuma continued, knowing it was too late to back down. "I didn't actually grow up here. When I was younger I had gone to school to learn how to duel. I was never very good, and honestly I wasn't good at all. But I always kept trying. But then suddenly everything went crazy and we were forced to leave our home. My dad was one that had found that key and insisted on keeping it, though people didn't like it at all. They forced us to leave, and then people started getting duel magic and dueling, though they could only duel with a few monsters at a time. My magic isn't very strong in that category either, but I've always kept trying. Not that it amounts to much I know." he paused, waiting for some snide remark from Black Mist. But none came, so he continued. "My sister had a job in the city, working as a journalist. She was heartbroken that she had to leave her job and she wasn't very happy to leave. Dad and mom loved to travel but they couldn't anymore. Not after all of this. My sister was a happy person though, and she learned to make due with what she could do with her skills here. Mom and dad got regular jobs to pay for things that we needed. And we had to stop living in the same way that we had. We didn't have the same comforts as we had, but we had each other."

"_And that's why you go after them?_" Black Mist asked. Yuma was a little surprised at his tone. One of...longing?

"Yes," Yuma replied. "They're my family and I love them. I can't just abandon them. That's why I can't believe that your family abandoned you."

"_Trusting fool,_" Black Mist said, but with almost a purr in his tone, amused and perhaps filled with another emotion too. It was quickly gone though and replaced by a snarl. "_My family did abandon me. They left me to be tortured._"

"They what?" Yuma gasped.

Black Mist's snarl was enough to get Yuma to be quiet, but it didn't stop him from pitying the strange boy. He knew that his family wouldn't abandon him ever. They'd keep trying to help him. He knew that Black Mist felt betrayed by his family. The hurt was too deep in his voice. He must have loved them dearly and thought the same thing. The question was, what had happened to make him question that in the first place. It was the same thing that had made him lose his sanity, something terrible. And apparently he had been tortured. But by who and for what?

Yuma looked up at Black Mist. He was growling and looked about ready to attack the first thing he saw. The only reason Yuma was still alive had to do with Black Mist's own magic. He looked at the angry boy a minute, trying to figure out what he had to do. He needed to open him back up to him, even if just a little bit. He looked at him a moment, trying to figure out what to say. Again that dark gray, almost black eye caught his attention.

"Your eye," Yuma said quietly. "it's not supposed to be that color is it?"

Black Mist turned his eyes towards the boy, who quickly looked away. For some reason Black Mist felt sorry for making him look away like that. He was the first person he'd really been able to talk to in a long time, or at least one that he didn't hate. He carefully mastered his anger a little more, and then decided that he would answer. He would humor the boy a little. After all, it wouldn't do any good if the boy wasn't willing to help him in battle.

"_No,_" Black Mist replied. "_It's not. I was born with that eye being silver. But when I was captured they never left me alone. And one thing they did was to injure that eye over and over again. Just the one, because they wanted me to be able to see with the other. For a while I could see out of that one, but it's gotten much worse suddenly. I can't see out of that eye anymore._"

"You're blind on that side?" Yuma gasped. Black Mist eyed the boy again, and Yuma knew that he was only able to see him with his golden eye. It was his right eye he realized.

"_That's why you're on that side,_" Black Mist told him. "_Because as of yet you haven't proven that I can't trust you. So I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and letting you on my more vulnerable side. I'm testing you kid, get it?_"

"Y-Yeah I get it," Yuma said.

Yuma realized that more than that, Black Mist was a little afraid of having his blind side unprotected. Since he couldn't not trust Yuma, he let him stand on that side. He kept glancing frequently at Yuma, not trusting him at all. He didn't want to leave himself open from an attack by Yuma. Yuma was a little sad to realize that he couldn't let himself trust anyone. So he fell silent again and then looked forward. Maybe if he could prove that Black Mist could trust him then he would be less unapproachable. Yuma was suddenly determined to bring Black Mist out of the darkness that surrounded him, and as he had said before, he would never give up.

For a while they walked in silence, and neither was really willing to break the silence. They hardly knew each other. They barely did actually. Neither knew what to say. Black Mist hadn't been talked to like this person was trying to in a long time. Well, his mother had but he had been sealed in the key and he couldn't talk back or even consciously register it at the time. Yuma on the other hand wasn't sure what on earth he was supposed to say to Black Mist that wouldn't make him contemplate killing him in very nasty ways. So when Black Mist fell silent he was only too glad to be quiet as well.

"_I didn't used to be this way,_" Black Mist said quietly, as if to himself. "_I used to be happy, or happier. But people didn't like me. They looked down on me because I was born with this color of skin._"

"What's wrong with it?" Yuma asked.

"_It's just not normal,_" Black Mist replied, shaking his head a little. "_And people like me are supposed to one day become evil. They all think I am now. That's another reason I hate them. They don't understand, and none of them tried to._"

"I still think they're upset," Yuma said quietly. "Even if they didn't treat you well as a child, I'm sure they remember what you were like. It couldn't have been easy to see what you became."

"_They still didn't come to help me,_" Black Mist growled stubbornly. Yuma just shook his head.

"Maybe they tried," Yuma said quietly.

Black Mist wasn't hearing it though. He'd obviously been hurt very badly. He felt abandoned and betrayed, and he had frozen himself into denial and insanity so that he wouldn't have to feel it anymore. He'd rather kill than be killed. But he was conflicted on a deep level with what Yuma was telling him. For a long time he had listened to lies spouted by his captures that he soon was unable to tell the lies from what was true. That and the pain made him soon fall into his insanity, feeling betrayed. He had been far too young for any of that to happen to him, and his only way of coping with it was to bury himself deep beneath the surface.

It was then however that Black Mist suddenly froze. He raised his head and began scanning the area with his one good eye. He had long ago learned to trust some primordial instinct for danger that he had developed. Something was off about this whole situation, and he didn't like it one bit. Yuma nearly ran into him, managing to stop in time. He began to look around as well, and he turned his head.

He noticed someone in the bushes. He couldn't see their face because he was wearing a mask and a cloak. He could vaguely make out dark gray eyes and some blonde hair. He wasn't looking at him, but right at Black Mist who was looking the other way now. He raised something to his shoulder. Yuma didn't think. He just reacted. He reached forward and shoved Black Mist.

Black Mist hit the ground hard and rolled, very surprised and bristling. Yuma had pushed him. He knew that he couldn't trust him. He was going to kill that kid. But as he skid to a stop he heard Yuma yelp and crash into the ground too. Confused he sat up and turned around. Yuma had pushed Black Mist out of the way and had gotten hit by the net that was meant for him instead. He could hardly move.

Black Mist just stared at him, completely surprised and oddly out of character, actually concerned. He had pushed him out of the way to protect him? Did that mean he could trust him? Yuma certainly seemed to be in a lot of pain. The thought made him bristle suddenly. He stood and snarled at the man that came out of the tree, placing himself between Yuma and the stranger. The stranger stopped and looked at him carefully.

"Well," he said. "I didn't expect you to actually find a Key Master Black Mist. But he doesn't look very strong. There's no way a kid like him can handle the level of darkness you fight with. Maybe if you had been in a lighter form then perhaps."

Black Mist glanced back at Yuma, who was peering up at the two of them with one confused eye. He didn't really understand much of what was going on at all. But he hadn't really complained yet. And he always kept striving to make friendly advances towards Black Mist. He didn't really understand him at all. How could he be so friendly and trusting? But he was right. He might die if he tried to use his magic. He turned to face the stranger again, who began to walk around Black Mist towards Yuma. Black Mist instantly snarled and bristled, and his tentacles appeared again. He shot them towards the stranger. Both he and Yuma seemed very surprised, but he wisely retreated again. Once he was farther away from Yuma Black Mist continued to snarl at him but didn't send his tentacles after him. He was giving him a clear warning to stay away from the boy.

"Hm?" the stranger asked. "Do you actually care about that boy? I was sure you didn't actually care for anything."

"_Who the hell are you?_" Black Mist growled. It was quite a menacing sound, but the stranger didn't flinch.

"My name is Fletch," he replied. "And I was sent here to ask you again if you will join us willingly."

"_Barians,_" Black Mist snarled in understanding and contempt. Fletch nodded.

"Exactly," he said. "You refused us last time, and quite dangerously. You killed several of our lesser members. You were wasted with the Astrians, that's for sure."

Yuma wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about. He had no idea what was going on, but it really seemed to upset Black Mist. He replied by snarling and bristling more, but though there was aggressiveness in that stance there was also a little fear. He didn't like the Barians one bit, and he was determined to not help them even more than he claimed he hated his family. Fletch waited for a moment, but when Black Mist still said nothing he sighed.

"I see," Fletch said. "So it's going to be that way then. Well since you're not going to come quietly then I suppose I'll have to make you come with me. You and your Key Master are lucky. With both of you, you can summon a Number with very little damage. However I doubt you even have a number, and you won't be trying to summon one since your Key Master isn't strong enough to help you summon one. So I suppose I can risk summoning my own."

Black Mist froze. He had a Number? That wasn't good at all. He slowly backed up until he was found his hand brush Yuma's arm. The boy jumped a little, but he wasn't watching Black Mist. He was staring at the other man, both confused and a little scared. He wasn't sure what was going on but he didn't like Black Mist's reaction one bit. Black Mist snarled a little and looked up again, vaguely noting that the boy was on his right side. He couldn't see him.

The man seemed to be concentrating for a while, and then he shuddered violently. Blood poured out of his mouth, and he seemed to be hurt very badly suddenly. Yuma watched, both disgusted and interested in a grim way. That's what it took to summon a Number? That explained why Black Mist said he needed him for his magic. The man raised his hand.

"I summon Number 83 Galaxy Queen," Fletch said.

Black Mist snarled a little. He knew exactly what that Number did. He wasn't really prepared for this. How was he supposed to know that they would send a Barian after him? Then again he wasn't really surprised if it was true that they had sent him with a Number. He wondered if they had other Numbers in their possession. The monster appeared, and she seemed to take the form of a beautiful but terrible woman. She wore a dress and a crown and had a scepter in her hand. Her hair was a long purple color, almost reddish, and her eyes appeared to be green. She looked up at Black Mist, and he paused, meeting her eyes. To Yuma it seemed suddenly as if they were communicating.

"This Number is only a level one," Fletch continued, not seeming to notice their silent communication. "but she is powerful none the less. A Number can only be destroyed by a Number, and since you don't have one she can easily defeat you. Though her main power relies on defense of the enemy, since you don't even have a monster summoned she can attack you directly."

Black Mist wasn't listening. He was still staring at the Galaxy Queen and trying to figure out what he was going to do. Yuma looked up at Black Mist, who seemed to be doubting something. Yuma couldn't really move at the moment, and he had no idea what was going on, but he felt like he needed to do something.

"Black Mist," he said, gaining the Astrian's attention. "Listen. If you need to summon a monster then go ahead and do it. I'm strong enough."

Black Mist still doubted that, but the Galaxy Queen had been saying the same thing. He reached out and pointed his hand towards the Darkness Key, closing his eyes. Fletch seemed to have really believed what he said, that he was sure that Yuma would die if Black Mist tried summoning a Number. He didn't try to stop him at all, and just watched. Yuma felt Black Mist's mind flash in his own.

Black Mist was utterly surprised at what he found in the boy's mind. He wasn't weak at all. He wasn't nearly as scared as he had seemed to be either. He was in fact very strong. And it was two attributes that made up his strength, Determination and Kindness. He was surprised to find a mind so full of both things. He could notice many things in the boy's mind. Like everyone else, he had fears, desires, hopes, anger. He wasn't perfect by any means. But he was still oddly trusting, and it struck Black Mist that way even now. He had no idea if he was really strong enough, but he had trusted Black Mist to do what he needed to. Black Mist wanted to hate the boy for it, but he felt gratefulness instead. It had been a long time since Black Mist had felt any positive emotion, and it confused him greatly.

But he opened his eyes again and looked up at Fletch, who seemed very surprised to see that he was so prepared to fight. His hand remained hovering over the Key, preparing his strike. Number 83 smiled at him and encouraged him to continue you, and Black Mist snarled.

"_I have a Number,_" Black Mist cried. "_What you and the Barians didn't know is that I am a Number!_"

"What?" Fletch gasped in terror.

It seemed that he really hadn't known that Black Mist was a Number. In fact, neither had Yuma. He was unused to the idea. After everything that Black Mist had told him about the Numbers, how on earth was Black Mist a Number? Black Mist raised his hand.

"_I summon Number 96 Black Mist,_" he cried.

Yuma didn't miss that he and his Number shared a name. Was it just complete coincidence on the part of his parents? Or had he ended up with that name on purpose. He supposed that his parents had to know that he was a Number. But had they known which one? Then again his twin brother was named Astral, like the planet they came from.

Yuma felt his strength drop a little, but nothing close to what had happened to Fletch. Then a black blob appeared in the air, seething as something within fought to break through. The creature at last revealed itself, with horn like structures on its shoulders, no head, wide shoulders with flames coming off its shoulders, a huge mouth on its overlarge torso, clawed fingers and slightly bowed legs. The creature roared loudly. Fletch stared at the monster with a mixture of surprise and terror. Black Mist took advantage of his hesitancy.

"_I use Black Mist's ability __Shadow Gain__,_" Black Mist called. Then to Yuma's surprise he bit his own hand deep enough that the blood began to flow freely. But he didn't even wince and ignored Yuma's gasp. "_Now I reduce your monster's attack points by half and use it to strengthen Black Mist. __Now his attack points are higher than yours. She only has 250 attack, while Black Mist now has 350. Now go Black Mist! Attack Galaxy Queen!_"

Yuma was sure that the Galaxy Queen had an effect that could have been activated as well, but Fletch was far too surprised by Black Mist's attack to actually think of using it. The creature's claws connected with Galaxy Queen and with a scream she disappeared. Black Mist raised his hand then, and the particles flew into his hand and he absorbed them. Fletch collapsed, staring at Black Mist and the monster that he embodied.

"_As per the rules of a Number battle,_" Black Mist said. "_Your Number now becomes mine._" But then his eyes narrowed dangerously. "_But you know, I really do hate Barians._"

One of his tentacles covered Yuma's eyes. There was something in the boy's mind that made him think that he wouldn't enjoy this at all. The others grabbed the defenseless Fletch and ripped him apart. The man died with a single scream that made Yuma wince and shudder violently. Black Mist watched him until he was sure he was dead, and then turned back to Yuma, moving his tentacle as they returned to his back.

"Y-You killed him," Yuma gasped, staring at the bloody lump in the grass.

"_Why should I have not killed him?_" Black Mist asked levely. "_If he didn't die then we would die or be captured._"

"He was already defeated," Yuma cried, looking at him. Black Mist only paused a moment, staring at him with those haunted and calculating eyes. But then he grabbed Yuma and raised him into a sitting position.

"_Hold still,_" Black Mist warned.

The monster Number 96 stepped forward with a growl and reached towards Yuma with a single claw. Yuma froze a little, terrified of the monster. It was, he decided, a lot like Black Mist. It seemed unapproachable, dark and sinister. But unlike Black Mist there wasn't anything remotely good looking about this thing. It was a monster through and through, and Yuma refused to believe that about Black Mist. The creature's claw passed cleanly and easily through part of the net, cutting Yuma free without injuring him, and then it returned to Black Mist.

Black Mist began floating again, looking around a little more carefully now as Yuma managed to wriggle out of the net at last. He was glad to be out of it. He didn't really want to be stuck in it anymore. Once he stood and brushed himself off, he gave himself a quick glance over. He didn't seem like he was hurt too badly, though that net had hurt. It had been tight. He was going to bruise a lot. But he was glad to be out of it. He gave the Darkness Key a single glance, wondering what on earth had happened when he Black Mist had summoned Number 96.

He looked up at Black Mist. His right side was again to Yuma, and Yuma noticed instantly that he wasn't casting glances at Yuma anymore. Did that mean he trusted him to guard his blind side? Well, he might have trusted him, but he sure didn't like him. It was a step in the right direction, and Yuma felt like that trust was only very weak right now. He couldn't really push anything right now. Black Mist could chose to take that trust away at any moment and then they'd be back to square one. It was a step in the right direction. But glancing only once towards the dead Barian he knew that it would be a very long walk down this path.

But he also had a million questions. He didn't understand anything about what was going on. He turned to look at Black Mist, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to ask. Then he sighed.

"What was that?" he asked.

"_A battle between Numbers,_" Black Mist replied.

"I know that," Yuma sighed. "But how does it work?"

Black Mist turned his haunting and calculating eyes back to Yuma, looking at him for a moment. It still unnerved him greatly, but he was getting used to seeing those eyes. They were the eyes of a madman. But Yuma was still sure that there was still something good in his heart. There had to be. For a while though Black Mist was silent, and then he spoke.

"_Usually,_" Black Mist explained. "_A Number Monster is summoned by summoning regular monsters. It takes a certain number to summon each one, and they have to be a certain level. But if you use those and overlay them then you can summon a monster. However since duel monsters has changed, and since people like us have existed throughout our history, these monsters can be summoned without using overlays. Doing it alone is dangerous as you saw. It can kill you. But people like us are connected strongly through the key, which is the link between us. This way we can summon these monsters without taking too much damage. The strength of both is what determines the damage taken, and we took hardly any. That means we are both strong._"

"So why didn't he summon other monsters before summoning Galaxy Queen?" Yuma asked.

"_Because that would be inviting me to do the same,_" he said. "_He wanted to make sure that even if I did have a Number that I couldn't summon it without risking hurting you._"

"And why did you bite your hand?" Yuma asked, glancing at his injured hand. Black Mist hid it quickly from his sight but answered.

"_Since we did not summon other monsters,_" Black Mist replied. "_We did not have overlays. If we had overlays then I could have used one of them to activate its effect. Basically summoning monsters to overlay makes us take less damage. To summon Number 96 you need three level two monsters, and to summon Number 83 you need to summon three level one monsters. That means both of their abilities can only be used three times. And even without overlays their abilities can only be used three times. Once those three times are up we can't use it anymore. Keep that in mind. But I am the one that summons the Numbers, as well as I can fight without them. You will have to summon the monsters we use as overlays, and whatever normal monsters we fight you'll have to fight them. We can't risk hurting ourselves every time we summon a Number._"

"I told you I'm not good at it," Yuma said quickly, then changed the subject. "But you said you were a number? How can you be a Number?"

"_Simple,_" Black Mist replied. "_The Numbers are thought of as peace keepers, though there are dark as well as other types of Numbers. They represent most of every kind of monsters. But they are beings like the rest of us. They cannot take form in this world without being summoned, so they give their powers to one that they choose and they are born as a Number, __in the form of a living being__. There are one hundred of these beings, and each one, from nearly every where in the universe, represents a Number. It's highly unlikely that any of us will ever meet, and the fact that Astral and I were born as twins and both Numbers is highly unlikely. But that was also why we were chosen to be sent to earth. Our parents knew we were Numbers, t__h__ough not which ones. __So they chose us to try and set things right. Only their plans were interrupted._"

"By the Barians?" Yuma asked.

"_Yes,_" Black Mist replied. "_They are the ones who tortured me. That is why I hate them over everything else. That is why I killed him. I know their ways, and they are cruel._"

Yuma looked at the Astrian a moment. He was starting to piece together his past a little bit, but he still didn't know what had caused him so much distress that he would hate his family. Just what had they done and said to him that had made him so blindly hate everything? He wasn't sure, but he knew that one day he would have to understand it all if he was to truly understand him and unlock their potential. He knew that he would need it to save his family if they were still alive. Besides, he knew nothing about his family, what he had been like before, or what he was going to do with an insane person floating around after him everywhere.

But then Black Mist looked at him again. There seemed to be a different look in his eyes than normal. It wasn't so haunted. It was more of a calculating look, like he was searching for something. He just stared at him a moment.

"_I know how to duel,_" Black Mist said. "_And you do not. I need to teach you how to duel and we need to figure out which monsters you will be able to summon and quickly to summon the Numbers we are able to summon. And not just a few, but a few sets that we alternate so they can't read which monster we're trying to summon. It'll keep them guessing. If you can't do that then we won't make it far._"

"B-But even my teachers at school couldn't teach me how to duel," Yuma said. Black Mist just stared at him a moment.

"_Then I'll have to do better,_" he said in a tone that wasn't encouraging for Yuma. "_We'll be starting soon. You'll catch on quickly enough. Hurry up and move on Yuma. Last time I checked murder is a little difficult to explain._"

With that Black Mist returned to the Key and was silent. Yuma had a strong urge to remind him that he was the only one doing the murdering, but he decided he was right. As sick as it made him to think that Black Mist had killed that man, he was even sicker to imagine that he had done it because he felt like he had no other choice, and that it hadn't even phased him. Still, Black Mist was right when he said he hadn't cared if they died, at least not Yuma. He would have let Yuma die if that would have helped him. In a way he kind of owed Black Mist his life. But it wasn't a comforting thought to owe his life to the man who had murdered his potential murderer.

Yuma shook the morbid thoughts as much out of his head as he could manage. It was something that he was unfortunately going to have to get used to if he had Black Mist following him around. He turned and left, knowing that he didn't need to get caught at the scene of the crime. He had to disappear and quickly. He just hoped that he'd be able to get far enough to Black Mist's good side that he could talk him out of murdering people, and also that the Astrian would take it easy on their "training". He wasn't going to like this one bit.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? This is kind of evolving into a sweeter version of Tentacleshipping, and it's going to be a little odd. But this is an alternate universe. The next chapter is while the training is taking place, and it switches perspective to Astral and his Key Master, which is another odd pair. And note lol that Black Mist finally uses Yuma's name in this chapter.<strong>

**I know that one of the characters is actually part of the Barians, but again, this is an alternate universe story and he's decided to switch sides. Also he knows Yuma from his childhood in this story and he's really upset when he finds out that he's paired with the "evil" Black Mist. That will be interesting when they meet up. **

**Anyway the next chapter focuses on them and how they're starting the story and getting along so well. Then they go out in search of Yuma thinking they have to save him from Black Mist before he falls to his darkness. **

**Anyway, that's a sneak peak. I won't do it again, but it's kind of an odd change in the story line and who's telling it. But this story is fun to write and even if people don't like it I think I'll keep it up because it is so odd. Even though it's odd I can write fairly well I think so the story should be interesting enough. I'll start eventually expanding Black Mist's back story some more, and some family dynamic should come in soon enough. It should be interesting, and there is going to be a lot of drama and craziness in this story so I hope you enjoy reading it. It's going to be fun to write, so I hope that people enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. **

**I hope you enjoyed and feel free to leave a review below!**


	3. Emperor's Key

**Okay so obviously I did change Galaxy Queen's abilities a little bit, but she really didn't want to fight another number anyway. So anyway, I hope that makes sense since they're actually beings that are born into this world, and even if they never see each other they're connected to the monsters that they represent, so somewhere the person who is the Galaxy Queen knew that she was fighting another Number.**

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><p><strong>Anyway shout outs to thor94, YuGiOhRox, utopianking, teamxcution, and Sakura Tsukumo! Your reviews are appreciated. Also thanks to everyone who is following or favorited the story! <strong>

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><p><strong>This is kind of odd because I wanted to include SharkNash in this story as a good guy. He gives some reasoning in this chapter why he is helping them, and it doesn't seem to make much sense at this point, but I'll expand on it and make him a more likable character. Because let's just face it he was cool in the story. Also I'm combining elements from the Japanese and English versions of the anime. Like the names.**

**I hope you're enjoying the story, and here we get a look into Astral's side of the story.**

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><p>Chapter Three: Emperor's Key<p>

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><p>Shark looked up with a bit of a sigh. Well this was turning out harder to explain than he had thought it would be. He knew it was a lot to take in, and especially for his sister, who wasn't getting any of this at all. Shark wasn't really his real name, but it had been a nickname he had been given. His real name was Reginald Kastle, and he had shoulder length purple hair with some odd shaped lavender bangs on his forehead. His eyes were a dark blue. He was tall for his age, which was a little older than Yuma, about fifteen. He looked at all the kids that had become his friends over the years.<p>

There were only three others here, but it was no wonder. It was dangerous for so many kids to gather at any where. The only reason that these three had agreed to come was because he was a great battler. One was Caswell Francis, a shorter and nerdier kid than most, with a blue bowl cut hair do and blue eyes. Beside him was Tori Meadows, a pretty girl with green hair and big brown eyes. Then beside her was Bronk Stone, who was fairly overweight but had kind dark brown eyes and black hair with a single strand of green hair. Then of course his sister was here though he should have been in the hospital. Her hair was like his in many ways, but her purple hair was lighter and longer longer and her bangs were blue. Her red eyes were now covered with a bandage from an accident. Who knew if she would be able to see again?

"Wait," Tori said, obviously still not getting it. "So you're saying that these Barians and Astrians are fighting a war and we're somehow involved?"

"Exactly," Shark replied.

"I don't get it though," Bronk said, shaking his head. "If they're so evil then why do you admit to being one of them?"

"You can't be one of them," Rio said stubbornly. "I know you're human!"

"That's just it," Shark replied. "The people of Barian aren't really evil, but they have become excessively cruel. They want to destroy Astrian world. The problem is that they both used to be a single world. Somehow they were split. But if someone were to destroy one it would destroy the other. I realized this and left before things got too messy. I am one of the few radicals that decided I didn't want to be apart of it. So I was reborn into a human body here on earth. I have as much reason as you to want to stop this war, because it would destroy all three worlds, and I have ties to all of them."

They all just shook their heads, unable to understand what he was saying. Caswell was especially skeptic. He had always been so smart, and he was strangely optimistic about thinking that humans would be able to change their mistakes and fix the world again. That's what he had always liked about Caswell. He could have been very upset that the world had ended and his smarts were not as needed as street smarts anymore, but he had remained optimistic and that had helped his friends through many occasions even if they didn't know it.

"I don't get it," Caswell said stubbornly. "What on earth do you mean you are an Emperor?"

"One of the seven Barian Emperors," Shark corrected. "In that form I am known as Nash. I was oddly powerful even in that form, but now I've taken a human form. I am one of the few Emperors that wasn't taken over by Don Thousand who wants nothing more to end the Astrians, at any price. He's not very happy that some of us escaped. But we're not willing to destroy our own planet for his revenge. I'm not strong enough to take my Barian form yet or I'd show you. It's a little hard to ignore. It's difficult to prove anything."

He looked around quietly for a moment. He knew that he had to prove it to them. They obviously weren't believing him. They didn't believe he was an alien, and they didn't believe there were aliens that were making a mess of things here. He saw eyes flash in his mind, one silver and one gold. He nodded and looked down at the key on his chest. It was a bright gold color, and shone brilliantly. He had somehow ended up being the Key Master for an Astrian. And if that wasn't odd enough, he had believed him. He had meant every word he'd said to Astral, and he was willing to trust him just like that. He hoped he didn't somehow betray that trust. He didn't want to have to fight this war alone. He sighed.

"Astral," Shark said. "Can you help me explain?"

"_Certainly,_" came the wiling response, the voice of a male, and a kind voice.

His friends all froze when they heard the voice. Where was it coming from? The Emperor's Key glowed brightly a moment and then a form materialized from it. Astral was a taller young man, though Shark still wasn't sure how old he was. He had seen many Astrians before, but Astral was nothing like he had seen. He was a rather handsome young man, with one silver eye and one gold. Green marks covered his light blue, almost white body, as well as blue gems. His hair was spiked up and curled lightly towards the front, and he didn't need to wear any clothes. Also he had long dangling earrings, an elegant design. Astral floated behind Shark, folding his arms and watching them all patiently as he waited for them to notice them.

They did, and Tori screamed, grabbing Rio into a hug, who was rather confused. The others all scrambled back from Astral, who was still watching them with his patient and kind eyes. They sat there, trembling a moment and trying to understand. Shark raised his hands to them a moment.

"It's okay," he promised. "This is Astral. He is an Astrian who was sent here with the purpose of stopping this war."

"_I'm pleased to meet all of you,_" Astral said politely.

Astral really seemed to have freaked them all out. Well they couldn't deny that there were aliens on earth now. They still weren't sure that they completely believed Shark at this point, but they couldn't deny that there was something else going on here. Astral was definitely not a human. In fact they didn't know what else he could be but an alien. After a while they started to calm down a little. He wasn't making any menacing moves towards them. In fact he hadn't moved at all. He was still just floating there as if he was standing and had his arms crossed.

"W-Who is that?" Tori asked quietly.

"_My name is Astral,_" Astral replied though he had already been introduced. "_I come from the planet Astral. And I'm here because I'm trying to bring a stop to this war. All of these things have been said before. Is that enough?_"

Tori was too dumbfounded to respond, and instead just nodded a little. What else was she supposed to do? She was talking to an alien suddenly! The others all stared at him, confused, while Rio was listening intently. Her brother hadn't said anything for a while. Shark was refusing to speak for a moment, and was just staring at his friends. He wasn't going to talk until he was sure he knew what they were thinking.

"So there really are aliens?" Bronk gasped. Astral too no offense at the term.

"_It would seem so,_" he replied gently.

"Things weren't already confusing enough before you got here," Caswell sighed.

"_Yes the end of your world,_" Astral said. "_It came far too early. Don Thousand and the Barians he controls are behind this. That is another reason that we have to destroy him. He's not just happy with destroying Astral and his own world, but now he must destroy Earth as well._"

"What do you mean?" Rio asked, seeming a little confused. Astral turned to regard them carefully.

"_The Astrians have been watching humans and their movements for countless centuries,_" Astral replied. "_We have always been interested in you._"

"But why?" Tori asked.

"_As Shark said,_" Astral said. "_The Barian world and the Astrian world used to be a single planet. But even then there were differences. The planet was first split because these differences caused a great war. But after the split we noticed Earth. It was a place where there was only one race, humans. But these humans were different in culture and even skin color. We became interested in you because your kind was so like us, but had chosen a different path._"

"But have we got to do with anything?" Caswell demanded. Astral was as patient as ever.

"_Simply put,_" Astral replied. "y_our kind is young. Much younger than my race, or even Shark's. But more than that, you are powerful. You don't have the same powers of battle that we have. You cannot fly or create fire from magic. Only now are you beginning to grasp the magic again, for you once had it and lost it. But that is not the only reason. We became so interested in you because it was once predicted that your kind would take place in one of our wars, the war to decide the fate of the Barian and Astrian worlds._"

They all just stared at Astral, and Shark nodded like it was the only logical explanation to what was going on. Astral waited for a moment, letting the information sink in. It still amazed Shark a little at how extremely patient Astral always remained. He would have been fed up with all of these questions by now. But then again, that's why he had called Astral out of the key in the first place. As much as the fact that he was just a way to prove that he wasn't completely insane.

"A human would?" Tori asked.

"_Yes,_" Astral replied. "_It was long ago predicted that a single human would chose the fate of all three worlds. During a time when the world was ending a single human would decide the fate of us all, facing the darkness and mastering it with light. No one is quite sure what was meant by this. But the fact that the world has ended much faster than we anticipated makes me think that the time for this has come at last._"

"The problem is," Shark continued. "We don't know where to start looking for a person like that. And there are many obstacles. One of these isn't Barian either."

They all looked at him, obviously still not believing that he was an alien. But they were also plainly confused about what he meant when he said that it wasn't Barian. Weren't they the evil ones? If so then who else could be trying to stop them?

"_For many years,_" Astral said, a note of sadness entering his voice. "_We began testing the idea of Key Masters. It would be easier to help this way. In the end we figured out how to do this, however as we were preparing something went horribly wrong._"

"What happened?" Tori asked though she wasn't sure they wanted the answer.

"_There were two of us chosen,_" Astral said. "_Me and my twin brother. While most of my kind have lighter skin, my brother was born with dark black skin. It was because of this that my parents named him Black Mist. However one day he just vanished. We never found him. Two years passed, and then when he returned he wasn't the same. The eye that had used to be silver was now black, and he had been driven to insanity. He claimed that we had betrayed him, and he tried to kill us. My father acted quickly enough to seal him into the Darkness Key. But he and most my people came to the conclusion that he had become evil and was working for the Barians. I don't want to believe it, but neither can I accept the fact that my brother had tried to kill me._"

"As I said," Shark said quietly. "The Barians have become quite cruel in their methods. Though I have no idea what they had done to change his personality that drastically."

"_Neither do I,_" Astral replied. "_But that isn't the end of it. The Darkness Key just disappeared one day. We couldn't figure out what had happened until my mother admitted that she had sent it to Earth. It seems she thinks that somehow his insanity can be cured, though I'm not sure how. The darkness in his heart is far too powerful. But she still sent it here, claiming that she had changed the spell on the Key as well. If that key is activated I fear we may fail._"

There was silence a moment. The humans all seemed both a little sad and scared. But one of them was thinking. Suddenly Bronk looked up and looked right at Tori.

"Hey," he said. "Do you remember when Yuma and his family left?"

"Huh?" she asked. "Yeah I do."

"Didn't his father have some sort of odd Key with him?" Bronk asked pointedly.

"You're right," Caswell said, also remembering. "It was a dark purple color, and it looked a lot like that one."

The way that both Shark and Astral froze was enough to tell them that something was very wrong. Shark's usually scowling face was filled with concern, and Astral's was full of fear. Astral's eyes clouded a moment as he sent a message across his link to his world to warn them that Black Mist's Key had fallen into the hands of humans.

"_It can't be,_" Astral gasped.

"This is bad," Shark agreed with a growl.

"I-Is it really that bad?" Tori asked.

"_Black Mist isn't in his right mind,_" Astral said, looking at them. "_He will attack anything and try and kill it, and he doesn't hesitate to use dark powers to do it. And it's impossible to talk him out of doing it. He just doesn't care anymore._"

"Don't you understand?" Shark asked. "If Yuma summoned him then he's in danger just from being around him!"

The thought hadn't seemed to have occurred to any of the others. Now that it had though they all looked absolutely terrified for Yuma. They still remembered their friend even though they hadn't seen him in so long. They certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to him. Yeah he had always been a bit annoying at times, but they didn't want him to get hurt. Astral looked at Shark then, determination in his eyes.

"_Shark,_" he said. "_We have to go. There may still be a chance that we can keep Black Mist's Key from being activated. And even if it has been too late we still might have a chance to save Yuma from Black Mist. I don't want to see anyone else hurt because of my brother. And if it comes down to it then...then I'll kill him. I don't want to, but if I have to chose between my brother and the fate of my world then I will have to choose my world._"

"I understand," Shark said, giving him an understanding glance. He couldn't imagine having to kill his sister, even if she was evil.

Astral returned to the Emperor's Key, as silent as before. Shark turned and started running down the path. He had never really been that kind to Yuma, but he wasn't just going to let him get hurt, especially not if he was in trouble. He was going to do what he could to try and put a stop to all of this. His friends behind him gave out gasps.

"Shark," Tori cried. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go," he cried over his shoulder at them without breaking stride. "I can't let Yuma get hurt. Wait here. I'll come back soon, I promise."

With that Shark sped off as quickly as he could to save his friend. He couldn't be scared to leave them all behind. If he was too scared then he'd never get anywhere. Not only was he fighting for his friends' lives, he was also fighting for this world as well as the other two. He needed to go now, or he didn't think he'd ever be able to go.

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><p><strong>Alright so there was this chapter. I did this to show a little more of the back ground for other characters, and also to explain that Black Mist's family didn't really betray him. However he was there for two years so he began to think that way. Anyway, next chapter will go back to Yuma and Black Mist. Should be fun right?<strong>

**Also this isn't the tentacleshipping that most of you are thinking of. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. Untrustworthy

**Here we go again with chapter four. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. It's starting to move to where those two story lines will collide, and it will make a little more sense when we actually get to that point. But before that we're going to go back to Black Mist and Yuma and see what they'll be up to at this point. I will have them get some more Numbers, but I might have some of them be gotten off screen, or have several gotten at once because that's quite a bit of work I'll have to put into the story line. I guess I'll decide when I get to that point.**

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><p><strong>No shout outs this time, mainly because I updated this chapter within seconds of the other. The reason is because I had these chapters done and didn't post them for a while, and also because I am working on several other stories. I'm planning on posting another eventually, and I'm working on the next chapters of both this story and "Shadows of Egypt".<strong>

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><p><strong>Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this story now, and let's get to the chapter!<strong>

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><p>Chapter Four: Untrustworthy<p>

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><p>"<em>Get up,<em>" Black Mist said.

He was staring at Yuma with those dark eyes, both haunting and calculating. Yuma on the other hand was laid, sprawled out and wincing on the ground under the eyes of his rather cruel teacher. Cruel he was yes, but he was also a very good teacher. Yuma was catching on rather quickly. If he failed a summoning, then Black Mist would hit him hard with his dark powers, or tentacles, whichever he felt like using. He never hit him that hard, but he hit him hard enough to knock him over. However he'd been hit several times by now, and the result was that he was now rather battered and bruised. He supposed that this wasn't going to help to mention this though. They wouldn't heal for a while and Black Mist didn't care as long as the point he was trying to teach got across.

Yuma shuddered a little but stood as quickly as he could. He didn't want to make Black Mist think he wasn't trying. He was almost sure that Black Mist would have thought that another good reason to abuse him. He stood and turned back to face Black Mist, staring at him for a while. Black Mist was silent, waiting. He just continued to stare at Yuma. Now Yuma was thinking rapidly. What had he done earlier that Black Mist had told him he had done correctly? There were several combinations he could use to summon Number 96, which he was concentrating on now. He had learned some that would take longer to summon the Number. But now Black Mist was trying to get him to summon it quickly. Would they really ever need to do something like this? He didn't want to wonder about it.

"Alright," Yuma said. "Here I go. First I summon Pinecono!"

Black Mist said nothing and continued to watch as the little man in a vest with a pine cone on his head appeared. Yuma paused a moment, supposing that he had done alright.

"Now I send Pinecono to the graveyard to special summon Acorno," Yuma said. This time and Acorn appeared. "And since it was used with this monster, Pinecono reappears from the graveyard on my field."

Black Mist still said nothing. He was still watching. Now it was more tricky. Yuma wasn't sure entirely what he was going to do at this point. He had gotten this far without getting whacked, so now he had to think a lot. He really didn't feel like getting smacked again. For a few moments he was silent. Then he looked up.

"And then I'll..." he hesitated before continuing. "I'll summon Darklon normally."

Black Mist's eyes flashed as he looked at the little brown blob with a mess of blonde hair on its head appear. He just watched Yuma a minute, then he smiled. Yuma couldn't deny that the smile sent a few shivers down his spine.

"_Very good Yuma,_" Black Mist said. "_Darklon summoned normally will up the levels of all monsters on your field by one. Thus making them level two. That gives me three level two monsters that I can overlay to summon Number 96. And you did that very quickly. We'll have to practice more, but you're done for now._"

Yuma couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. As much as he was glad that Black Mist didn't seem to have such murderous intent towards him anymore, he didn't like how much he seemed to enjoyed using him as a punching bag. Yes, he'd taken a step in the right direction, but it certainly wasn't going to be easy to get him to vaguely trust him more than just enough to stand on his blind side sometimes. Yuma looked up at Black Mist.

"Why do you seem to hate me so much?" he asked. Black Mist stared at him a moment.

"_I don't hate you,_" Black Mist said. "_You're still alive aren't you?_"

"I suppose so but," Yuma said. "You don't really seem to trust me either."

"_That is because I haven't decided if you are completely trustworthy or not,_" Black Mist replied. "_I do not trust easily. But neither have you proven yourself untrustworthy, so I will let you stand on my right side. Prove me wrong though and I will show you no mercy._"

Yuma didn't doubt that. But then again, after he had heard even just the small part that he had about Black Mist's past he could understand why he couldn't trust people easily. But at the same time, he still had no idea what had driven him to hate his own family so much. He would have to ask later, but he wouldn't push it now. Instead, he just nodded and then changed the conversation.

"Hey Black Mist," Yuma said. "when was the last time you touched anyone without trying to kill them?"

"_I don't touch people,_" he replied with a growl. "_I hate people._"

"Well you just said you don't hate me," Yuma replied. "You're not going to get any better if you keep pushing people away."

"_And why are you being so friendly?_" Black Mist snapped. "_What's in it for you?_"

"Nothing," Yuma replied. "I just want to be friendly."

Now Black Mist paused again. This human continued to confuse him in ways he couldn't comprehend. It didn't matter that he'd just basically beat the crap out of him, he still continued such friendly advances. He tried to make conversation even when Black Mist wouldn't respond. It was infuriating. And at the same time, it brought a deep sense of longing in Black Mist that was almost close to pain. How long had it been since he had last touched someone?

The boy continued to try and be friendly toward him. As he had just said, there was nothing in it for him, yet he tried again and again. He had avoided his gaze at first when he had used his annoyed or angry tones with him, but now he met his eyes without fear. He always met the gold eye, looking straight into the only eye that could see. He didn't wince or flinch so much at his snarls and growls. And now he did the same. Black Mist turned to face the boy more, looking at him.

How long had it been since someone had talked to him like this boy was? Sometimes there would be pity in his voice, but he didn't talk to him like he was some animal or stupid. He talked to him normally, avoiding conversations that he didn't want to breach and taking each of his replies, no matter how violent or threatening, as they came and without complaint. He never winced when he threatened him, and just continued to talk and make signs of peace and friendship with him. Black Mist had yet to return any of them, but that hadn't seemed to put the boy off at all.

It frustrated and infuriated Black Mist. How was he supposed to deal with that? But at the same time, it touched him. That one tiny sane part of his mind craved the contact that his pain had taught him was evil and should be avoided. He didn't want to suffer anymore pain. Yet the very tone and body language that this boy showed him wasn't threatening at all. It was comforting and understanding. How could he understand him? He couldn't. He didn't know what it had been like. But Yuma just continued to smile and talk as politely as ever. And sometimes, if Black Mist wouldn't answer a question he would answer it with experiences from his own life. Black Mist now knew much more about the boy's past than he did about his, but that hardly seemed to put Yuma off at all.

"It's been a while right?" Yuma asked. "Don't you want to remember what it's like? Here." The boy raised his hand. "Just try it. Touch my hand. Even if it's only for a moment. It's got to be lonely to be trying to stay away everyone all the time."

Black Mist snarled a little as he looked at the hand. It was facing towards him, palm up. He was hiding nothing, and he was trusting him to not hurt him. How on earth could he have so much trust in him? It didn't make any sense to Black Mist. He'd been betrayed and hurt so many times that he couldn't trust anyone. And Yuma was asking him to trust him just like that? Black Mist shied away from Yuma a little, still bristling.

"It's okay," Yuma promised. "I'm not going to do anything to you. You can trust me, and even if you can't trust me that much now, you can give it a try. You don't even have to touch my hand for long. But if you keep pushing people away then you'll never get better."

"_There's nothing wrong with me,_" Black Mist snarled.

"I think you know that there is," Yuma replied gently. "Somewhere inside you know that this isn't right. That's the only thing that makes you hesitate before just murdering someone for no reason."

Again Black Mist paused. There was indeed some small voice in the back of his mind, keeping him from diving completely into evil and the darkness surrounding him. There was some part of him that was still clinging to sanity, that was urging him now to trust Yuma. His past was urging him to stay away, to kill him if he should prove dangerous. But something else made him turn his eyes down to the boy's hand.

There was no trembling there, no fear. It was steady and calm. Black Mist just stared at it a moment, unsure what he was going to do. Yuma could see the fear in his eyes, but he just smiled and waited patiently. He said nothing. He didn't want to spook Black Mist. As much as the guy snarled and threatened him, Yuma could see that he was just as afraid as he was aggressive. His aggression was born out of his fear.

Now Black Mist was silent. Should he really trust him? That was a lot more trust than he had allowed anyone in a long time. Slowly he extended his hand, and it hovered above Yuma's. Yuma could see it trembling, and Black Mist could feel it himself. He stopped here, watching Yuma's hand. Would he try anything? Would he hurt him? Yuma didn't move at all and said nothing. His hand just stayed there, held out to the strange boy from another world. Slowly, Black Mist let his palm touch Yuma's.

Black Mist froze instantly, but it was in surprise. He'd forgotten how warm people were, how smooth their skin was, how comforting a simple touch could be. He just sat there, staring at their now touching hands. Yuma still didn't move. He didn't want to scare him anymore than he already was. He could feel Black Mist's hand trembling noticeably. He had been right. He hadn't touched anyone in a long time, and he was obviously unsure how to deal with it. He could feel the nails on his hands, which were the same shade as the skin around them and made it hard to tell when they actually began and ended. They were sharpened to a point almost like claws. They weren't bared against him now, and he didn't want to give Black Mist reason to think he needed to.

Black Mist suddenly had some confusing memories come to his mind. He and his twin brother Astral playing as children, his mother hugging him, his father laying a proud hand on his shoulder. They were all fond memories of his family, times when they had touched him and not hurt him, but did so with love. It was confusing for Black Mist because he had been surrounded by pain for two years. He hadn't known a moment's peace. He had expected his loving family to come after him, but they had never come. He had felt utterly betrayed and the anger and hatred had festered into his heart until he had found his chance to escape. He had sworn revenge. And yet here was Yuma, telling him that he didn't need it, that he could trust someone other than himself again.

Suddenly Yuma noticed the skin on Black Mist's face darken a little. He wondered what on earth that could mean. But then Black Mist pulled his hand away quickly enough to slice Yuma's hand a little with those claw like nails. Black Mist paused a moment, looking at Yuma in surprise and then at his own hand. But Yuma just grabbed the stinging wounds and smiled more.

"See that wasn't so bad," he said. "You can trust people again. I'll just have to prove it to you okay?"

Black Mist again blinked in surprise. How on in the world could he just keep on smiling like nothing had happened? He didn't understand the boy at all, but that didn't keep his face from darkening again. What on earth was he feeling now? Did he actually enjoy being in the boy's company? He absolutely refused to accept that. He turned away quickly, not noting though, as Yuma did ,that he had turned his right side, his blind side, to him subconsciously.

"_We've been here far too long,_" Black Mist growled. "_We should go._"

"Right," Yuma replied cheerfully as if nothing odd had happened.

He turned and began to walk down the path again, and Black Mist followed, contemplating something that was going on through his mind. Yuma was in better spirits now. He had gotten another step down the road now. He had gotten Black Mist to trust him enough to suffer contact with him. He was getting somewhere. If he just continued to take little steps at a time then he could tame the beast that was Black Mist. That's what his mother had hoped he would do, and that's what he wanted to do. He wanted to prove to Black Mist that he didn't have to be so afraid and aggressive all the time, that there were people other than himself that he could trust. It would take a while, but he was sure he could do it if he had the time. And looking at their odd journey, he'd have plenty of time.

Black Mist was slightly behind Yuma as he started to follow, and he looked at him closely. He really didn't seem that remarkable. He had seemed like he'd spook easily and cause him a lot of trouble, and that he'd never be strong enough to help him at all. Yet he'd taken every challenge they'd face with a smile and determination that confused him. Yes, Yuma confused him. He couldn't understand him or what he was thinking. He couldn't understand why he was so friendly with him. And yet suddenly he was grateful for his presence. He was finally not alone. He wasn't just going to admit that to Yuma though. He'd have to work harder at winning his trust if he wanted that. And maybe even...friendship? It was such an odd word to Black Mist now that he wasn't sure what he was going to do if that time came.

But he supposed that was something that he was going to have to face sooner or later. He sighed and went forward a little so that Yuma was once again on his right side. Yuma could help him keep an eye out for danger and protect his blind side. That at least was a privilege in itself that he'd never given anyone before. And he wasn't too keen on trusting too many people either. At least not now.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? I wanted some more interaction between Yuma and Black Mist before they continued on their journey. In the next chapter they'll continue on until they get to find another Number and bond a little more as friends. Though I might have some "off screen" battles where they get Numbers cards unless they have to do with some important character development, introducing or fighting important characters, or unless they have to do with the Barians who are the main people trying to stop them. I think that'll be alright because there are a lot of Numbers. <strong>

**Anyway, feel free to leave a review below and tell me how you think this chapter is going. I am reading the reviews and I take them into account, but at the same time I want to write my own story, so I'm not going to do exactly everything that you guys say, so sorry if that upsets you. But I like to write my own stories. **


	5. Justice

**So here we are again. This is kind of an odd story, but I'm glad that so many of you seem to be enjoying it. So I'll keep going. Anyway in this chapter we'll have some more interaction between Black Mist and Yuma again, and we'll get a number and some information about Yuma's family. I hope you're having fun reading this!**

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><p><strong>Shout outs! Thanks to YuGiOhRox, Sakura Tsukumo, thor94, and DarkInsanitySoul for reviewing and liking the story! It means a whole lot! Also thanks to all those who have favorited and followed the story! Your support helps a lot!<strong>

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><p><strong>Anyway, thanks and please continue to read and enjoy! Kite and Hart are coming in soon. ;3 also here's the starting of some fluff.<strong>

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><p>Chapter Five: Justice<p>

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><p>"Black Mist," Yuma said. "Are you going to stay in the Key all day?"<p>

The black Astrian appeared and floated alongside the boy, reclined onto his back as if he wasn't worried about the fact that their mission wasn't going as smoothly as they hoped. They'd manage to get two other Numbers from two duelists who were just human. That meant that they had four, Numbers 96, 83, 16 and 61. It hadn't been hard to get those two. It had been simple. One of them had been terrified when he saw Black Mist and had surrendered it, and the other hadn't been able to out duel Black Mist and Yuma. However Yuma hadn't let Black Mist kill them, so now if anyone was looking for them then it was a good chance that they could hear rumors of them staring to pop up.

"_You are taking too many risks,_" Black Mist said. "_If you had just let me kill them then no one would have known that we were here at all._"

"Yes but then they'd be looking for a murderer," Yuma replied. "And as much as people are curious about us now, if you were wanted for murder then more people would be looking for us. Word was going to get out eventually. Fletch was sent after us anyway. Eventually they would have wondered where he was and found him dead. And you kill in a very noticeable way. Eventually they would have figured out who it was."

"_If you had not been there I still would have killed them,_" Black Mist growled.

"Why didn't you kill them while I was there?" Yuma asked.

Black Mist looked away and didn't respond. He wasn't really in the mood to explain why he had decided to listen to Yuma. He didn't really understand it himself. He hadn't wanted to trust Yuma. He hadn't want to respond to his friendliness. But he hadn't been able to resist. No matter how much he had tried, he couldn't bring himself to. Just like Monsters all had abilities, Yuma had an ability as well. Somehow, inexplicably he had managed to reach beyond the insanity in Black Mist's mind and touched the part of him that was still willing to trust him. There were of course many more things that would have to happen before his insanity had any hope of being cured. For that he would have to know the truth of what had really happened.

Black Mist sighed and looked ahead. Yuma made no sign outwardly that he was frustrated with Black Mist's lack of answers. He really was. He felt like no matter how much he had talked to him, he hadn't responded. He felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. Obviously there were changes. He wasn't the same as when he had met him, and he wasn't so quick to jump forward to murder someone for no good reason. However he still had nearly that same stare, cold, cruel, haunted, calculating, but with something else now. He was looking at him again with those same eyes now.

"Well," Yuma sighed. "For better or for worse, people know we're here now. It's probably likely that it isn't just the Barians that know either. Humans know definitely, and probably even the Astrians. But that's something we were going to have to face eventually anyway."

"_I suppose,_" Black Mist relented.

"You seem like you're putting up with me a lot more than you did when we met," Yuma observed.

"_Why should I not?_" Black Mist asked. "_Besides the fact that I need you to help me on this quest, you have proved yourself mostly trustworthy. What good is it to alienate the only ally I have?_"

"I guess that makes sense," Yuma sighed. "Still, it's just that you've been acting a little odd is all. You keep hiding away in that Key. Why do you go in there so much?"

Black Mist turned his good eye to look at Yuma now. Yuma knew that he hardly ever said what he was thinking right out. He always seemed to be gauging his patience or reaction to his silence before he actually spoke. He was always watching, always calculating for the enemy. He'd had to become that way, Yuma realized, because he hadn't been able to trust anyone but himself. He found himself thinking of how lonely an existence like that would be. He wouldn't want to imagine living like that. But after a while he seemed satisfied with whatever knowledge he had gained.

"_Because there is a mechanism in there that lets me store and contact the Numbers we've captured,_" he replied. "_It establishes the link between us and the Numbers we have. That way we can summon them easier. Sometimes the beings that are the Numbers will volunteer to take some of the damage that we cause ourselves by summoning their monster. That being said though, it's often better that we go ahead and summon Monsters to do a Numbers summon. It's less damage and then if we really need their help to summon a Numbers they'll more willing to help us with it._"

"Ah I see," Yuma said. "So it's very important isn't it?"

"_That and sometimes I just need to get away,_" Black Mist sighed.

Yuma just nodded a little. That was fine. Everyone needed some time alone. In fact he was a little surprised that Black Mist spent even as much time out of his Key as he did. He spent a lot of time with Yuma when there were no people around who would panic to see Black Mist, unless of course one of them had a number with them. He was getting more at ease with him, Yuma decided. His gaze was even just slightly...intrigued? When he looked at him, it wasn't exactly the same hard and cold stare. There was just something else. But he supposed that he was fine with that. Anything was better than facing the whole world alone. And Yuma had a feeling that Black Mist had done that for far too long. Yuma wasn't going to give up one him, no matter what anyone else said.

They were quiet for a minute, just thinking. Each had their own thoughts, but neither really had any clue what they were going to do now. While they didn't know it, Shark and Astral at least had a purpose for going as quickly as they can and collecting Numbers. Yuma had somewhat of a purpose, but as for collecting Numbers he wasn't sure how they were going to help or why they were needed. And Black Mist was just severely confused. He hadn't doubted in himself since he had let his madness and rage take control. He hadn't doubted because there was no need to. There was no need to think, only act and survive. However, now that he was with Yuma he had been forced to think more. What if Yuma was right? What if this wasn't right? What if he could go back to what he once was, or at least something close? What if his family had tried to save him? Confused thoughts occupied Black Mist's time, and the only way he found to distract himself a little was to come out and listen to Yuma talk on and on. Sometimes about nothing at all important. But his talk often distracted him, yes even amused him at times.

Yuma. The boy caused such confusion in Black Mist that he didn't know how to act. But he also caused such positive emotions to be revived in him. In the end Black Mist was torn. But as much as Yuma confused him, he enjoyed being around him.

"_Yuma,_" Black Mist suddenly said. "_What do you plan to do, when this is all over?_"

"I don't even know what I'm doing now," Yuma replied with a laugh. "But I suppose I'll start over. I'll start working to make the world a better place, where people don't have to live in fear."

"_Why?_" Black Mist asked, curious as always about his answer. "_Weren't they the ones who made it like this in the first place? Who made you suffer?_"

"That may be true," Yuma replied. "But I can't help it. It's only justice. I have to save them as best as I can. Because that's just who I am. I have to help everyone. Even you."

"_Justice huh?_" Black Mist asked quietly.

Yuma paused and looked at Black Mist. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, locked in some thought or memory that Yuma couldn't comprehend. He just watched the boy a moment, wondering what on earth he could be thinking of right now.

"_Yuma,_" Black Mist said. "_Can I ask you something?_"

"Sure," Yuma said, a little surprised. "Go ahead."

"_What would you do?_" he asked very seriously. "_If you loved your family, and thought that they loved you back. What would you do if you were hurt, and they never came to help you?_"

Yuma stared at Black Mist. It was obvious that this was a very serious and personal question. He was asking Yuma because somewhere he was confused, perhaps even about the hatred that he felt towards his family. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say here. That hatred was so much a part of the being that Black Mist was now, how would he respond if he told him it was unneeded? What was he supposed to say? He decided at least that he should try something. Black Mist needed help, and right now he was the best person he had to help him. If any of his family saw him then they would probably either attack him or be attacked. Somehow, before then, he had to break through Black Mist's shell. And he was going to, even if that meant feeling Black Mist's wrath.

"What I would do?" Yuma asked. "Well I wouldn't hurt them. I know that I can't understand what you went through, and I don't pretend to. I don't know what they said about them, or what they told you." Yes that was it. He didn't care what had happened to Black Mist before. Because he was Black Mist's friend even if he denied it. Encouraged a little he continued. "They probably told you all sorts of lies, and you eventually were so hurt and confused that you believed that your family had abandoned you, so you had sworn revenge. But that can't be right. Your family really loved you right? Then they never gave up hope on you! I'm sure they were looking for you, but they didn't have the power or the knowledge to find you."

"_Then why were they so cruel to me?_" Black Mist snarled. "_My father called me evil. My brother attacked me back when father told him to. They all attacked me, they all fought me, even mother!_"

"But you attacked first didn't you?" Yuma demanded. Black Mist was quiet again. "They were defending themselves. Your father and your people called you evil because they were raised to believe that people like you are evil, and humans act the same way. If something is thought of as dangerous and evil for generations then it becomes embedded in that memory even if they know it's wrong. It takes a lot to combat that. Your brother fought you yes, but I bet he didn't harm you, not as much as you harmed him. And your mother, she altered the key and sent you to earth even though she wasn't supposed to, so you could have a chance to change your fate. Your father could have killed you, but he sealed you in that key! Your brother couldn't stand to fight you! Your own people probably were hurt very badly, but couldn't bring themselves to kill you! Do you know why that is? It's because they still loved you! And they were probably hurt too, because they had no idea what had made you become this way. So since your father couldn't understand, because he was so hurt, and because he blamed himself deeply, he called you evil because he couldn't accept that it was his fault!"

"_How can you just know so much about what happened?_" Black Mist asked in surprise.

"Because I know you," Yuma said. "At least the you that you are now. And I know how people work. It doesn't matter which world they come from, they all work this way. Your family is hurt by all of this, and they're probably looking for answers. Don't you think that you should too? If anything is ever going to get fixed, you're going to have to trust me, and let go of your anger."

Black Mist was quiet for a long moment, just thinking. But when his eyes turned back to Yuma they were just sad. With a soft sigh, Black Mist laid his forehead on top of Yuma's, making the boy pause. Black Mist was still floating, slightly higher than Yuma was tall so he had to bend his head and shoulders down a bit. His eyes were closed, and instead of anger and fear Yuma just sensed a great sadness from him. He didn't pull away but looked up.

"_I do trust you,_" Black Mist replied. Yes, that was it. He trusted Yuma. He could trust him with anything. He was the only one who had been there for him, and hadn't been afraid to tell him what really needed to be said. "_But to lose my anger would be to lose myself. I don't know what I'd be without it._"

"Silly," Yuma said with a smile. "You'd still be you. There's no one who can take away Black Mist. Because the you that you create for yourself is the real one. If you let go of your anger you won't lose yourself. You'll only be altering yourself. So there's nothing to fear right?"

Black Mist's eyes flew open as he stared down at Yuma's eyes. Why did everything have to be so difficult around him? Why did he confuse him so? But he didn't find the boy infuriating anymore. He actually enjoyed being in his company. Sometimes he did need to escape into that key, but at the same time, he came out when Yuma called him because he didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. He was tired of being alone.

Black Mist had taken to asking Yuma questions, wanting to understand him. And the more he understood him, the more he found that he liked the boy. He was the kind of person that probably would have been a good friend to Black Mist if they had met before all of this. He was sure that he would have been. So he wasn't too surprised to find that his black heart was melting just a little, that he was becoming more like he had once been. But also Yuma was right when he said that Black Mist wanted to know the truth. He really did. He supposed he'd have to suppress his anger, yes even towards the Barians, until he knew the truth, the whole truth.

"_You do realize,_" Black Mist said quietly. "_That you know me better than anyone right? Even Astral. You always know what I'm thinking and what to say. You know how to convince me to do things. It feels strange, knowing that you know my weaknesses. But that is why I must trust you. Because you know, and because I can't be away from you. I think your betrayal would hurt the most._"

"I'm not going to betray you," Yuma said, still a little surprised. "You've been hurt too much for that. Besides, even if you don't like it, I like you. I like the you that is surfacing now, the one that is kinder, more willing to listen. The one that's closer to normal. I still feel like you're just some huge puzzle, but then again, aren't all people? We're friends with people because we want to solve that puzzle, but also because we're fine with not ever solving it."

"_Friends?_" Black Mist said. "_Yes I suppose we are. I'd like us to be anyway._"

Yuma smiled broadly and leaped back, pointing a finger into Black Mist's face and making the Astrian blink a little in surprise. Yuma had always been hyperactive, always leaping around. But now he was even more so since he'd gotten a response out of Black Mist. He had finally admitted to being his friend.

"There," Yuma cried. "That's the spirit you need! It feels great to not push everyone away right? Well now I need to get you to start opening up to other people too. That'll take a while, and it'll be a long road to walk down, but you can do it! I believe in you!"

"_Road huh?_" Black Mist asked, chuckling a little. "_Well I suppose I have to follow you down whatever road you take. I can't exactly leave._"

Yuma just stared at him a little bit. Not only had he just laughed a little, a true, amused laugh and not for some morbid reason, but he had also made a joke! Black Mist had! When they had first met, something in Yuma had told him that such a miraculous transformation would have been impossible. He just seemed too unapproachable, too dark. But he was willing to let Yuma try. Yes, because they were friends, and friends not only trusted one another, but did odd things. This certainly would seem odd to anyone back home, for a human boy trying to return Black Mist to a creature that could feel compassion and pity again, and any positive emotion at all. But Yuma was determined to make things right for Black Mist, and that's what he was going to do.

"So," Yuma said. "Are you going to let go of your anger and search for the truth? Are you going to trust me enough to take you down this road?"

Black Mist looked at Yuma for a long moment as Yuma smiled and held his hand out to the Astrian. He wasn't afraid of Black Mist. He hadn't been for a while. Black Mist just stared at it a moment. He'd never thought that this would be possible. But he was right. He didn't feel the same hatred because Yuma had proven to him that he could trust people. He didn't feel such a need to murder and listened to Yuma because he was his friend. Yuma had even made him finally decide that he was tired of feeling hatred and anger, and to suppress it, just by talking. Yes, he was ready. He knew he could trust Yuma, and so he knew it was time to let go of his anger.

Black Mist looked up with his one good eye again, meeting Yuma's gaze. Yuma's face was smiling again, determined, but also encouraging. Black Mist managed to smile a little back and took Yuma's hand, shaking it a little before releasing it and turning away.

"_Sure,_" Black Mist said. "_We'd better get started then, don't you think?_"

Yuma bounded after him happily, with a bigger grin on his face than Black Mist had ever seen. Suddenly Black Mist seemed very happy to have somehow been able to make that goofy grin appear. He was also very glad to have finally admitted to himself and Yuma that he not only trusted him, but considered the hyper human as his friend. Yuma noticed suddenly that his gaze wasn't nearly so cold or cruel. Instead it was more curious about everything, withdrawn, but interested as well. He wasn't so distrusting of everything and everyone. He was more open. Suddenly Yuma thought of Astral, and the rest of his family, but mostly Black Mist's mother. Would they be happy to see how much he had changed? He was sure they would be.

They continued a long again, and Yuma felt much more motivated to go find the Numbers suddenly. He wasn't even sure why they needed them, but Black Mist was his friend, and he said they were important. So that's what he was going to do. Yuma looked up towards the dark clouds that began to rumble and threaten rain. They needed to get into some shelter soon. The problem was that they weren't going to reach the next town for a couple of hours, and the forest ahead was still a ways away. As Yuma was contemplating however, Black Mist's head snapped up.

It was a response that he had been forced to learn for survival, and it was still very helpful. He had sensed danger, and stopped with his right side nearly touching Yuma. Yuma instantly recognized the signs of Black Mist sensing that something was wrong and he started to look around too.

"You're both pretty sharp to be able to tell that we were here," a voice said. "This is them Hart?"

"Yes," a much younger voice replied. "That's them big brother."

With a snarl Black Mist whirled around to face the strangers. Yuma turned around as well and tensed. For anyone to mention that it was "them" meant that they had knowledge of what was really going on, and that wasn't comforting. They looked human. The older bother was a tall young man a little bit older than Yuma. He had blonde hair that was spiked up to the top of his head and blue eyes, wearing a uniform of some kind with a jacket with a high collar. His eyes were severe and uninterested. The younger brother stared at both of them with wide brown eyes, uncaring of what was going on. He held the older brother's hand. He was also wearing a uniform of some kind, and his hair was blue and cut shorter so it hung around his chin.

"Who are you?" Yuma demanded.

"My name is Kite," the eldest brother replied. "And this is my little brother Hart. I'm a Number Hunter."

"_A Number Hunter?_" Black Mist asked. "_Then you're working for the Barians._"

"That's right," Kite replied, meeting Black Mist's glare with his own.

Yuma decided that there was something wrong with the younger brother. He wore three strange orange gadgets on his head, whatever they were used for. They were odd and he wasn't sure what they were supposed to do. Kite saw him looked and bristled at Yuma. He didn't step forward however because Black Mist bristled equally as angrily in response. So the older brother was very protective of the younger?

"Let me ask you," Yuma cried. "Why do you Hunt Numbers?"

"Because my father told me that they're the only way to help Hart," Kite replied with a growl.

"_Then your father lied,_" Black Mist replied. "_You don't even know what they do, do you? You're just gathering Numbers like a dog. You don't even know how they would help. Well I know what they do, and what the Barians want to use them for. I can promise you, it won't be pretty, for Astral, for Barian World or for Earth. I suggest you look into that before you do anything else stupid._"

"My father told me everything I need to know," Kite growled, though doubt flashed in his eyes.

"_Is that so?_" Black Mist antagonized him.

"Kite wait," Hart said, his expression unchanging. "The Mission."

"You're right Hart," Kite said with some difficulty. "I'm sorry."

For a while Kite just closed his eyes, gathering his strength. Yuma wondered what he was thinking about. Come to think of it, he didn't even know what the Numbers did. He supposed he'd have to ask Black Mist about it. What did the Barians need them for? What did the Astrians need them for? How was Earth involved? He supposed he'd have to get those answers some other time. Kite opened his eyes and glared at them, but his tone was far less threatening.

"I have come with an invitation from Don Thousand," Kite said. Black Mist froze a minute, staring at him in surprise and disbelief. "That's right, Don Thousand who is now controlling the Barians. He would like to speak with the two of you. He told me to tell you that he will be alone, and that he intends no harm to you or your Key Master."

"_And why do you think I'd want to talk with him?_" Black Mist asked.

"Because he has promised to explain everything about your past," Kite replied. "Whatever that means. He promises to tell you the truth about what happened, and then ask you something very important. You could very well decide the war with your answer."

Black Mist sat there, very conflicted. As much as he wanted to know the truth, he knew this was dangerous. Don Thousand had been sealed away for a long time so he would still be very weak. But what if this was a trap. Don Thousand was far more insane than even Black Mist had previously been. More than a fear of meeting with the person that was the whole reason that he had been turned into the beast, he feared for Yuma. What would Don Thousand do with him? He knew that he had to refuse. There was no way he could risk it. But to his surprise Yuma answered.

"We'll go," he said.

"_But Yuma-_" Black Mist began.

"No Black Mist," Yuma replied. "You need answers right? Well this is our chance to get them. We have to go. I know it's dangerous, but it's the only chance that we've got. Just trust me okay?" for a while, Black Mist was silent. Then he looked at Kite.

"_Fine,_" Black Mist said. "_For better or worse, we accept your invitation._"

Kite nodded, then pulled out a small radio device. He punched a complicated pattern on it that Yuma felt was impossible to remember. How in the world had Kite even memorized it? Then he held it up to his ear and waited for a moment. It must have been a lot like a phone, one that manage to cross dimensions and reached other planets.

"Yes this is Kite," Kite said into the phone, pausing a minute. "I understand sir. But it's about my mission. Yes they have agreed. I understand." he hung up and looked at them. "Don Thousand is waiting. He has sent a portal now."

As if on cue, the air rippled, and then a hole appeared to disintegrate the air around it. It was rimmed with a circling mass of red wind, and there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. They couldn't see where it led. Steeling himself, Yuma walked up to the portal and went inside. Black Mist instantly followed, knowing that he couldn't leave Yuma alone to face the Barian leader. Kite watched as the portal closed, then clutched his little brother's hand a little tighter as he turned to leave. He had a lot to think about now.

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><p><strong>I haven't explained much about the character changes and bio changes that I'm giving to Kite and Hart, though I will eventually say it. Anyway, I'll have a rather interesting adaptation of Don Thousand's character in the next chapter. He'll give some reasons for wanting the Numbers, and some more story line will be explained. But it should be interesting in the next chapter. And we're finally getting to the point where fluff will start coming in. ;3<strong>

**Also, do you think I should make Shark and Astral a pairing? Tell me below in your review. I'm working on this story more because I have more inspiration for this one right now. But I'm working on Shadows of Egypt as well! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! ^^**


	6. The Jaws of the Trap

**For those of you who noticed, I missed editing the AN at the beginning of chapter five. I meant to say that this is the chapter where we get some information about Yuma's family. This chapter's also going to bring up a very interesting plot development that Shark and Astral are going to find out in the next chapter that's going to make them freak out a bit. Then in the next chapter it's going to turn out that everything is fine. Then they'll finally get to start moving together to meet up again. **

**In this story, Don Thousand is separate from Vector and his appearance will be described as having another reason. He will be different than he was in the anime and actually insane, as well as the fact that he will have another reason for wanting revenge on the Astral world, though it still involves the use of Chaos. Should be fun right?**

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><p><strong>Anyway, no shout outs because I posted it so soon after chapter 5.<strong>

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><p><strong>Thanks for your support from everyone! Now let's continue right along with the story. Remember though that this is an alternate universe story, so the changing of the story is alright because it isn't following the canon of Zexal. Thank you. ^^<strong>

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><p>Chapter Six: The Jaws of the Trap<p>

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><p>When Yuma looked up, he was surprised to see a throne room. There were seven thrones here, and behind those was one that looked like it had been newly added. It was dark and foreboding. The room that seemed to be glowing red a little seemed utterly abandoned. Don Thousand had summoned them here, so now where was he?<p>

Black Mist looked up with a growl, pushing Yuma behind him a little more roughly than he had meant to. But there was good reason for this. He had seen Don Thousand as he slowly made his way into the room and into view. He was smiling kindly, but Black Mist wasn't fooled. He could see an insane glint in his eyes, something that he knew all too well.

He was a tall man, and it surprised Yuma that he looked very Astrian. He'd only ever met one Astrian and never seen a Barian before, but that was an odd coloration. He had dark black skin, but he had red marks and red jewels all over his body. He wore some sort of clothing, almost looking like a skirt and a pair of boots, though he wouldn't dare call it that aloud. He had earrings that were much more sinister looking than Black Mist's, and his eyes were red. His hair though was long and blonde, except for the very edge tips of it, and his bangs which were considerably shorter. All of that was blood red, giving him an unreal and unearthly appearance. His chest was full of muscle. But it was obvious that Black Mist didn't like him.

"**Come now Black Mist,**" Don Thousand said. "**There is no reason to fear. I am just here to greet you and your Key Master. Such a small human. But he must have great strength if he can handle your magic.**"

"_You can stay over there,_" Black Mist snarled. Don Thousand paused, then sighed as if Black Mist's words had wounded him.

"**I can see that you still don't understand,**" Don Thousand said. "**Very well, I will tell you. I wanted to create a creature like myself. Those fools of Astral world want the two worlds, Barian and Astrian, to come together as one. I myself look like this because of this connection that we once had with Astral world. But it doesn't matter.**"

"_So you wanted to create some evil creature like yourself?_" Black Mist growled. "_You wanted to __make someone that was just as insane._"

Don Thousand smiled again, nodding. Black Mist bristled more. Don Thousand certainly did seem willing to share everything that he could with them. Yuma was unsure what to make of this whole situation. What was he supposed to say? Even if Black Mist had been insane, he seemed so different even than Don Thousand. His insanity wasn't so deep that he thought that what he was doing was right and justified and smiled about it.

"**That's right,**" Don Thousand continued. "**I wanted a creature who could also understand. Once long ago there was the power of Chaos as well as Zexal. Where Zexal is where two distant souls become one, Chaos instead is a power of being alone. Chaos was more powerful than Zexal then, and most people used it. However the power of Zexal became much stronger. The two forces clashed, tearing Barian World and Astral World into two separate planets with two separate races. This connection was unstable, and both have now begun to collapse, making the Astrians desperate to find a way to restore the connection. Most of the foolish Barians wish to make this true as well. But one of my disciples found the place where I was imprisoned and released me. I thought my people would understand why this great war was necessary, why we needed to be rid of Astral world. But they have become soft with peace. Thus I began to hate the Barians. The Astrians I hated as well, because they sealed me away. For a thousand years I was trapped there. In agony and wishing to die, because that seal was painful. So now, hating both, I accepted the madness rising in my heart, as people call it. And I knew what I had to do. I had to destroy both Worlds.**"

"_That's why you're trying to stop Astral and I,_" Black Mist said. "_Because if we collect all one hundred Numbers then together they can form the Numeron Code, which the Astrians intend to use to seal both worlds back together and save everyone. Without that Code, then both worlds will fall apart. So he's trying to keep them from getting all of them. Even losing one single Number would prevent the Numeron Code from being summoned. It is this Code that has saved thousands of lives in the past: the combining of all the Numbers to create a power that can be summoned to do anything. That's what they say._"

"**It's glorious isn't it?**" Don Thousand asked. "**Both worlds will be gone. This petty war will be done, and they would have all been destroyed. The universe is better off without them!**"

"Stop it," Yuma cried.

Don Thousand turned his eyes towards Yuma, and they flashed anger. Yuma was trembling a little, shaking is head back and forth. He didn't understand what was going on at all. How could Don Thousand not care about his own people? Why did he want to just kill all these innocent people and be rid of them.

"That's just genocide," Yuma said. "And not of one race, but three. Because my world is involved! How can you not care? And why would you have to hurt Black Mist just to do this?"

"**Because I need his help, and yours,**" Don Thousand said, keeping his voice level though his eyes would have scorched holes in Yuma if they could. "**It was once predicted that at the end of your world, this war would begin. It was also said that the Astral world, Barian World, and Human World would collide and join forces on the battle field. For that I need both of you. Together we fulfill this part of the prophecy. Together we can end what was begun. Yes, worlds would be lost, and whole races. But in this inter-dimensional war there will be no escape. Echos of the final battle will drift across the universe. It will announce the end for not only these worlds, but all worlds. Because they will know that there will be no hope. And we will escape this final judgment that we will pass. Then we will move on to cleanse the universe of the all who dirty it.**"

"_You ARE insane,_" Black Mist said, a little scared and disgusted. "_You can't make yourself a god like character just like that!_"

"That still doesn't explain why you had to hurt Black Mist," Yuma cried.

Don Thousand paused again, looking right into Yuma's eyes. There was something hard, something evil in that stare that made him freeze. But more than that, he felt like he would rather die then look into those eyes. He would rather cease to be. He suddenly began paralyzed by fear, and a panic akin to madness began to crawl up his throat. Black Mist stepped in front of him then, hiding his view of Don Thousand. Free from the strange spell, Yuma shuddered and grabbed Black Mist's shoulders to steady himself, turning his head so he wouldn't look at those eyes again. Black Mist snarled when he felt Yuma trembling.

"**You want answers then?**" Don Thousand said with a slight growl. "**Fine. I will give them. I tortured Black Mist that way because I knew he had to understand. He had to understand the hatred for both races that I hold in my own heart. To do this, I sent my disciples to capture and torture him until I saw fit to release him. His family was constantly a problem, trying to find him. Eventually I in my weakened form had to go and turn them away again and again. They haven't suspected who I was yet, but soon the Astrians will begin to understand, and far too late. The plan was to send Black Mist to Earth to find a strong human so that together we could end this miserable world. However, three of the Barian Emperors who were less under my control broke free and managed to escape my grasp. They set Black Mist free, and he escape, causing heavy causalities. I managed to blind the woman, and even now that wound will echo across history. Such was the power of Chaos I used against her. She will bare that wound no matter what form she takes or where. Then Black Mist's foolish mother sent him to Earth. Now I see that the human that became his Key Master has planted lies in his ears and his understanding has left him. He has been tainted again by that which they call 'light'.**"

Yuma shuddered. He wanted to speak, to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to. He couldn't figure out what he wanted to say. He didn't understand it. Why was he so unable to speak? What was going on? Why couldn't he do anything. But Black Mist answered for him, bristling angrily at Don Thousand in Yuma's defense.

"_They are not lies,_" Black Mist snarled. "_I was just smart enough to tell that everything that you said, everything that you told me, were lies! Yuma has never betrayed or hurt me. And I won't let you say that he has. I am moving again towards the light, and you won't stop me! __I don't understand why you're so stuck on this._"

"**Of course you do,**" Don Thousand said. "**You know the hatred of both races. You wish to destroy them don't you? Now, here is your chance. You can be rid of them forever. They'll never cause you pain again. Let the lines of Astrian, Human, and Barian come together to end this plague. Then together we can eradicate the useless and create a better universe together. The time for action has come, and the final judgment is here.**"

Black Mist paused. This was indeed what he had wanted. He wouldn't have cared about creating a better universe with Don Thousand. He would have cared about nothing else but destroying both worlds. That would have instantly sold him, and he would have helped Don Thousand in anyway he could. But now he knew that his family hadn't abandoned him. They had also probably been hurt by Don Thousand trying to help him. But more than that, he had been helped by Barians, one of which had been hurt for his sake. They had helped him escape. Just as Yuma had said, people were people. No, he didn't hate the Astrians or the Barians anymore, and he knew that he could never let Don Thousand win.

"_Answer me one question first,_" Black Mist said. "_Why did you take Yuma's family?_"

"**Simple,**" Don Thousand replied. "**So he would understand this hate as well. They are fine, but they cannot return to Earth, not alone. And only I truly know where they are. That is also why I left your key, so through your hatred his darkness would grow and he would also hate. So that he could understand our grand undertaking. Because all three worlds must be present at the end!**"

"_Then you already know my answer,_" Black Mist growled with determination. "_You are insane. No one in their right mind would go with this plan and unfortunately I am in my right mind. You hurt me and my family, and Yuma and his. I can never forgive you for that, but I can never hate you for that either. I am done with hatred. We will never join you! We will keep fighting! There will always be a way that we can find to defeat you. I am not insane, and I do not hate either world. So you have lost Don Thousand._"

Yuma looked up, surprised, but he felt very proud of Black Mist suddenly. He didn't hate them anymore! Finally Black Mist had seen the truth. And he was going to fight Don Thousand and not join him. They still had a chance to survive! Don Thousand was quiet for a long moment, saying nothing. Then he looked up again with the same smile as before.

"**I see,**" he said. "**Still I'm sure I can find a way to change your mind. I will attack you on your weak flank Black Mist. Then you will have no choice but to join me. It doesn't matter. You have four Numbers with you, and if you give away Number 96 then this mortal form of yours would perish. Besides, there is no escape from this place without my consent. Those who would help you escape are outside of these halls, and there are guards everywhere who will keep them out. Only those under my command are here. So no one will summon the portal that will let you escape. You are trapped here until you see the error of your ways and join me.**"

Black Mist growled helplessly. Even in Don Thousand's weakened form, Black Mist didn't have the power to stop him. He'd be unable to fight back if he attacked. He didn't have the power he needed, and he didn't dare attack and leave Yuma alone and defenseless. Besides, those under Don Thousand's command wouldn't hesitate to stop him if a battle broke out, and he couldn't fight them all. He was also right about the Numbers. He could send them to Astral if he absolutely had to. And it looked like he would. It was their only chance now, or else everyone would die. They were trapped here, and there would be no easy escape.

"**Glad to see you understand,**" Don Thousand said, peering at them. "**You will not be leaving here, so you might as well make yourself comfortable. Follow me.**"

Don Thousand turned and began to walk away. Black Mist paused a moment, snarling. But they didn't have a choice. Black Mist blamed himself for letting Yuma talk him into this. If he hadn't been so worried about knowing the truth then they wouldn't be stuck here. Now if he didn't follow he risked having Don Thousand deciding to hurt Yuma. Black Mist reached back and grabbed Yuma's wrist, following the Barian and bristling the whole time. But he wanted to keep Yuma close. He didn't want him getting hurt. Yuma yelped a little but followed, letting Black Mist drag him down the hallway. And soon they were lost in the maze of halls.

Don Thousand stopped at last in front of some huge door. He pulled out the key and unlocked the door. The resulting clunk quickly told Black Mist that this door was very thick. He snarled more. There would be no escape from here either. But as Don Thousand opened the door and turned back to look at them, Black Mist dragged Yuma into the room. Better to do what they were told than to end up getting hurt. Once they were in the room, they heard the lock click back into place. Yuma looked behind them at the door, then back at Black Mist.

"_Sorry Yuma,_" Black Mist said. "_Looks like I've gotten us into trouble._"

"What are you talking about?" Yuma asked. "I was the one that suggested we go."

"_But I agreed,_" Black Mist sighed. "_Against my better judgment I agreed._"

"Well," Yuma said, trying to cheer his friend up. "At least you know the truth now."

"_Yes I do,_" Black Mist said, smiling a little sadly. "_But far too late I'm afraid. I'm glad to know that my family never betrayed me. I just hope my people will be able to forgive me._"

Yuma just stared at him a moment. How could he say that! They'd surely forgive him. They'd just need some time to realize what had happened. Why was he looking so sad? What was he thinking now? Suddenly it hit him. Yuma leaped forward, grabbing Black Mist's shoulders. He couldn't help it. Tears formed in his eyes.

"No," he cried. "No way! Black Mist you can't!"

"_I must,_" Black Mist said. "_There's no hope for escape here. If I send my Numbers to Astral then there will still be a chance that we can stop this._"

"You can't just kill yourself," Yuma protested. "If you throw away your Number like that, you'll die! Then you'll never get the chance to explain, to tell them how you felt!"

"_I could send a message to Astral in my final moments,_" Black Mist replied. "_I could manage a little explanation of what had happened. That will have to be enough. I won't let our worlds be destroyed because of my stupid mistakes. If I have to choose my life over that of my world, then I choose my world. There are so many innocent lives there. I can't let them end because I was scared._"

"But there has to be another way," Yuma cried.

"_There isn't,_" Black Mist replied.

"Give me a chance to think of something," Yuma exclaimed. "We only have four Numbers, and the quest has just begun! There's a chance that we can still get out of here! Please you can't just die! Think of all the people who need you! And I..I need you. I can't just let you die!"

"_Yuma..._" Black Mist began, but was unable to finish.

He was touched, he really was. And somehow the way that Yuma had said that made him extremely happy. But he really didn't see any other choice. He was sorry that he had to do this. He really was. Yuma just looked so sad, and he'd be leaving him to Don Thousand. But at the same time he couldn't just let this be it. He would escape and save his world with his sacrifice if that's what it took.

They both froze however as they heard someone outside fumbling with the key a little bit. Yuma backed away from the door and Black Mist bristled and snarled, expecting Don Thousand to open the door. But to their surprise it was the face of a child that peered around the door.

"U-Um," the child said. "Hello..."

But there wasn't much else they could do but stare stupidly at the child. How on earth had she even gotten the key and gotten here? It didn't make any sense. But Yuma felt a little hope spark in his heart. Maybe just maybe he could keep Black Mist alive now!

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><p><strong>Well I know that this was a kind of random and stereotypical "the bad guy explains the whole plotevil plan" but I thought it was needed just because I hadn't explained the plot yet. And that was kind of a random ending, but I didn't want to just leave them stranded there. The next chapter focuses on Shark and Astral as they hear about this little event that happened here, and something else. Then I'll come explain how this something else happened. I think these should be two of my shorter chapters, though no promises. I tend to get a little long winded xD It's just my writing style. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and leave a comment below. **


	7. Intuition

**So here we go again with a chapter. I'm satisfied so far with how this story is turning out. It's a lot of fun to write and it gives me more freedom since it's an alternate universe story. I haven't had very many chapters focusing on Astral and Shark yet, so here's another. This time we get to see what they're doing at the time. It's kind of cliché, but I need to bring the two story lines together. I'm not sure if I want to make Astral and Shark a couple. It seems a little odd, and it would fit a little better in the story. So I probably won't make them a couple.**

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><p><strong>Thanks to CrusoeTheWhiteDragon, Sakura Tsukumo, and thor94 for your reviews! You have no idea how much it helps me to see that people like my work. Thanks to YuGiOhRox and CatLoverx33! Also thanks to everyone who has dropped a favorite or followed. This story has 6 followers and 5 people who favorited. So thanks for your support!<strong>

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><p><strong>Anyway, let's get right on to the chapter.<strong>

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><p>Chapter Seven: Intuition<p>

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><p>Astral wasn't how, but he knew that something was wrong. He felt it deep within his heart, as if he knew that something had happened. It made him nervous, more nervous than he had felt in such a long time. And he knew that it had to do with Black Mist. Was he causing trouble again? No that wasn't it. More than that he felt that his brother was in danger.<p>

The thought terrified him. The last time he had felt such a deep and horrible foreboding was when Black Mist had gone missing for two years. He'd never understood it then. He was rather young. They were both around six human years or so he imagined. Now they were around fifteen. They had aged while sealed in those keys.

Astral opened his eyes, taking in the same scene. Inside the key it appeared to be a deserted portion of Astral world. No one came here. But a giant space ship like puzzle floated in the middle, only solved and unlocked farther by the Numbers he collected. Even now he could hear them whispering, greeting each other. There were only five of them here now counting himself. It wasn't nearly enough. But it was a start at least. Shark was a very good battler. Though his real name was Nasch he still asked the Astrian that he call him Shark. That way his identity could remain hidden for a while longer.

There were dark blue sands, and a dark sky where every now and then red lightning flashed. The structure within the key hummed lightly as it clicked and moved in whatever purpose it had been designed for. Blue particles floated slightly in the air, which he moved through with ease. He turned his eyes through the whole structure. But the unease remained.

What was going on that could make him fear for his brother so much? Last time he had just disappeared and they had been attacked again and again by a single man until anytime they drew close to one area in particular. He wasn't sure why though. He'd never figured it out. But he knew what the man looked like, Astrian in form with long blonde hair, red tips and bangs, and red eyes. His black skin and red markings reminded Astral uncomfortably of Black Mist. Then suddenly when Black Mist had appeared and Astral had tried to greet his brother he had snapped and attacked.

Yes but out of fear. He was sure of that. People didn't want to believe it. They just said that he was evil like they had been conditioned to since they were children. He was evil and that was that. Astral had refused to accept it. But he had been unable to do anything. To think that his brother had made it here to the human world...

But it still didn't explain why he was so nervous. It felt like he was losing a part of himself. If he let it slip away, then where would it go? Would he be the same without it? Somehow he knew in his very heart that Black Mist was in trouble. He needed his help. But his brother hated everything didn't he? What would he need to be saved from at all? Disturbed and feeling lonely he decided to appear and speak to Shark.

The world outside of the key was dark, and the moon shone brightly. Shark was sleeping now, curled up instinctively in a ball against a tree as if to fend off some attack. He was Barian, and usually like Astral he would enter a dream like sleep that would sustain him but not make him fall completely asleep. But his human form was beyond exhausted because of their last battle. He wasn't going to be able to keep up this pace much longer if they weren't careful. Slowly and a little regretfully, Astral reached forward and shook Shark's shoulder gently.

"_Shark,_" he called softly. "_Shark wake up. I need to speak with you._"

The Barian groaned, obviously not wanting to wake up. His very body was protesting against it. His touch had been gentle, but enough to rouse him from sleep. He stirred a little and began to awaken, but that didn't stop the groan and yawn that appeared from his lips as his body blatantly protested being awoken. Shark opened his eyes and blinked sleep from them, but it didn't stop the irritated scowl from appearing on his face as he looked at the Astrian.

"Astral it's in the middle of the night," Shark complained quietly. "What do you want?"

"_I'm not sure,_" the Astrian replied truthfully. "_But something is wrong. I can sense it._"

"Wrong how?" Shark asked, sitting up and looking at Astral with more interest in his eyes now.

"_It's Black Mist,_" Astral replied. "_I'm not sure how, but he's in danger. I've felt like this only once before. When he just disappeared for so long._"

Now Shark really did seem concerned. He knew that Astral didn't just bring something up for no reason. Also for him to be really worried about something enough to wake him in the middle of the night it had to be pretty bad. Also, the fact that he was sure that Black Mist was in some sort of trouble was odd too. Black Mist was supposed to be insane right? He wouldn't be a normal target then, not for anyone. It didn't make sense any way he looked at it. As much as he tried to make sense of it, he couldn't quite do it. Why in the world would Black Mist be in trouble?

"I'm not sure what to think," Shark admitted. "It's odd to say the least. But why do you think he'd be in trouble?"

"_I'm not sure,_" Astral replied worriedly. "_I just know that something is very wrong. I fear for him, and for Yuma. But why would I feel this way?_"

They were both quiet for a long time. Shark just sat there, trying to think of all of the ideas that he could possible come up with why on Earth Astral would be so worried about his brother. He couldn't really think of anything, try as he might. He wasn't sure what he going to do. But he knew that he had to figure out what was going on. He looked up.

"Well, has this happened before?" he asked.

"_Once,_" Astral replied. "_When he disappeared before. There was always a single man there, and he kept fighting us and turning us back. We couldn't defeat him._"

"A man?" Shark asked. "Who?"

"_I don't know,_" Astral replied. "_He looked Astrian, but he was definitely Barian. His skin was black with red marks, and his hair was long and blonde with red in it._"

Shark's jaw dropped, and he stared at Astral with horror. Astral froze upon seeing that look on the boy's face, confused and a little frightened now. Shark knew exactly who this was even though he had been reborn as a human and his memories as a Barian Emperor were foggy now. It was an image that had always haunted him. He had hurt his sister and he had taken control of his friends. He knew he had a duty to stop him, though he wasn't entirely sure how.

"Astral," Shark said. "Do you have any idea who you've just described to me? That's Don Thousand! Your brother was kidnapped by Don Thousand!"

Astral's jaw dropped and he froze. Even though Astral had never met Don Thousand he knew who he was. He knew his evil and the plans he was rumored to be taking. His father hadn't wanted to believe that Don Thousand had been resurrected from that seal. But it now made far too much sense why his brother had become the way he had. He felt fear in his heart suddenly, pure terror. If this feeling was the same as before, then could there be a chance that it had happened again?

"_Shark,_" Astral cried. "_I think it's happened again! Black Mist is in trouble somewhere, and Don Thousand is involved!_"

"This is bad," Shark growled. "Who knows what Don Thousand's planning. Even if Black Mist is insane, Don Thousand is more so. And if he has Black Mist then he has Yuma! They'll both be in terrible danger!"

Both paused, looking at the other. There was fear and understanding in their eyes now. Astral knew that his brother was not evil. He'd heard how cruel Don Thousand was and how he could make people do what he wanted and how he wanted it by his voice and gaze alone. Astral was more afraid for his brother than he had been when he hadn't known the truth, because now he knew the terrible reason for his change and that his brother was in that same trouble again. Astral opened his mouth to say something, but Shark quickly cut him off and glanced to his left.

They dashed out of sight as quickly as they could, hunkering down into the shadows of the night and waiting. They both paused, noticing that there were two Barians in front of them. They were quite obviously Barians, considering one had orange skin and the other had a very dark purple skin color, and neither had mouths. They paused, looking around. One of them sighed.

"I told you there was nothing here," he said. "Why are we out here anyway?"

"We're looking for the other pair," the second replied. "We can't have another Key Master running around and ruining what we're working for. Besides, the more Numbers we can keep them from gathering the better?"

"So what?" the other asked. "Are we supposed to capture them too?" Both Shark and Astral froze, realizing that they had been right. Yuma and Black Mist had been captured by Don Thousand!

"No," the second sighed. "We're supposed to kill them."

"I don't get it though," the first grumbled. "Why do we have to kill them? If he wants them dead so much then why don't we kill the other two?"

"Fool," the other hissed. "Because Don Thousand needs them. All three races must be present at the end."

"They've already refused to work with Don Thousand or hand over the Numbers they've collected," the first complained, to the surprise of Astral and Shark. "It turns out that boy's still far too Astrian. I heard that he isn't insane anymore either. As if something like that could happen. Wounds like that don't just heal over night."

"It was probably the boy," the second guessed. "That Astrian is ferocious, but he's more so if anyone approaches that boy. I wouldn't find yourself standing between them if I were you, not unless you want your guts spread all over the wall. Even if he's not insane, he's mean because he had to grow to be. He doesn't trust easily and he attacks those he sees as a threat. I'd stay away from them." The two hiding boys were just dumbfounded at stared at the two Barians. The first shuddered.

"Well," he said nervously. "We haven't found them. We should go back."

"I suppose," the second relented. "There isn't much more we can do here."

The two Barians opened a portal and stepped through. The portal closed and there was silence suddenly as they waited in the bushes. Slowly they turned to look at each other, and horror was evident on both of their faces. They had been right. Yuma and Black Mist had been captured by Don Thousand. Not only that, but Yuma had somehow brought Black Mist back to his right mind and they had refused to help Don Thousand. But then an even more frightening though came to Astral.

"_Shark,_" Astral cried. "_What if Black Mist decides to send his Numbers to me? If he sent the Number that is him to me then he would die!_"

The thought obviously had distressed Astral a lot, and it made Shark snarl a little too. If it was true and Black Mist wasn't insane anymore, then he might just rather take that way out than let Don Thousand control him. Besides the fact that they would be losing a potential ally, Shark couldn't shake the thought that Black Mist was the only thing that was keeping Don Thousand and the Barians serving him from hurting Yuma to force him to do as they wanted. And that wasn't something that he could just take so easily.

"I have an idea," Shark said. "It's risky. The transmission could get interrupted or someone could find it other than who I am trying to send it to, but we have to try. If I can create a contact with someone from my planet enough, I might be able to get them to find a way to break Black Mist and Yuma out. It's their only hope of escape."

"_We have to take the chance,_" Astral cried. "_I can't let him hurt my brother again! And I won't just let him hurt Yuma either! I can't just let him continue to hurt anyone, not now that I know what's going on!_"

"I know," Shark said gently, laying his hand on Astral's shoulder. Tears were sliding down Astral's both terrified and infuriated face. "I understand. I truly do. I'll give it a try. I can't just sit by and let this happened either. It's our fault that Don Thousand is here to cause trouble in the first place. We thought he was gone for good. Vector tried to warn us, and we didn't heed him. He was the first to go, and he went insane soon after. I don't think he'll ever be the same. But I was a fool to ignore him, and he was hurt because of me. I have to try my best to put a stop to this."

Astral watched, still trembling with both rage and fear and waiting not at all patiently. He really was upset, Shark decided. Astral had always been so patient and calm about everything. To see him so worked up was odd to say the least. He closed his eyes and concentrated, carefully reaching out to his world with his mind, looking through the people he found there until he found one in particular.

_Lias, _he called softly.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the wait on this one guys! It took a while for me to figure out what exactly I wanted to happen in this chapter. Lias is an OC and is female. She is also going to have some significant importance in the next chapter (and there are several characters named Lias and I'll explain why that is next chapter when I get to that point). She won't be seen much at this point in the story, though she might come back later. Might. I guess we'll see when we get there. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'll get right to work on the next chapter.<strong>


	8. Zexal

**Here we are guys with chapter eight! This chapter is where we'll get to have some interactions between Yuma and Black Mist that get some things started. Also Lias is going introduce an idea to them that will give the story line something interesting that I know you guys were most likely looking for! I'm updating this story more frequently because I just have more inspiration for this one right now. I'm still writing Shadows of Egypt though.**

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><p><strong>Shout outs!<strong>

**Thanks to Sakura Tsukumo, CatLoverx33, thor94, YuGiOhRox, yuya, and Ryu-Ran 2200 for leaving comments! Also in answer to Ryu-Ran 2200's question in the review, I'll reveal all of that in more detail later, but you might have to wait a while for that. So thanks for you patience in advance! Also thanks for 6 favorites and 8 follows! I'm glad you guys seem to like this story so much, and I hope it continues to be a good read, even if it is a really odd alternate universe fan fiction. xD**

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><p><strong>Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me and inspired me with this story! You guys are awesome! And here's another chapter that I hope is still awesome for you guys!<strong>

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><p>Chapter Eight: Zexal<p>

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><p>"<em>Who the hell are you?<em>" Black Mist snarled, shoving Yuma behind him again with a snarl that the boy wasn't going to dare challenge. He plainly did not trust the girl.

She held up her hands to him with a sad look in her eyes. He still plainly didn't trust her. She was obviously Barian. Her skin was a light color, a pretty pink and her hair was a light red. Her eyes were silver, and there was a light white mark under her left eye. She of course, had no mouth, which Yuma found odd. At least Astrians could speak in a way he could understand. She was wearing a hood to shroud her body and face, and she had black cloth folded over her arm.

"My name is Lias," she said. "Don't worry, I've come to help you. I received a message from Earth. Astral and his Key Master discovered what had happened, and that Don Thousand was behind it. They're worried for your safety, so they sent me."

"_Am I supposed to trust that?_" Black mist snarled. "_How do I know that you aren't lying? That this isn't some trick?_"

"You have every right to be suspicious of me Black Mist," she said gently. "But I promise I'm telling the truth. Please you two must come with me and put these on." She held up two cloaks to them. "We have to leave before Don Thousand realizes that I stole the keys from his pocket."

"_How do I know you're not lying?_" Black Mist repeated with a hiss. She looked at him sadly.

"You don't," she replied. "Not now at least. You can only trust my word. But listen, you can't stay here. Just think about it. The moment Don Thousand realizes the key is gone he'll come here. And if he finds me here he'll kill me and then he'll hurt the boy. You know this is true. He likes to watch people suffer, and he knows the easiest way to do that would be to hurt the boy. You can't stay here if you value his safety."

Black Mist instantly glanced back and Yuma. Yuma was oddly quiet. He was usually so happy and talkative, but it was obvious that the thought of facing Don Thousand again terrified the boy. But to be hurt? He didn't want to be hurt and he certainly didn't want Black Mist hurt because of him. Black Mist snarled a little. Now that he had regained his right mind, he had several weak flanks, but Yuma was one of the worst. The thought of him being hurt...he couldn't even imagine it. It was too painful. He was filled with an aching confusion. Why did he feel this way about the boy? He couldn't place why, and he didn't want to worry about it. He faced the girl again, but he knew she was right.

"_Fine,_" he snarled. "_Let's go._"

The woman handed the two of them the cloaks, and Black Mist handed one to Yuma, throwing the other over his shoulders and pulling the hood up. Yuma was slightly confused but pulled the cloak on and threw the hood over his head. He was a little bit confused. Black Mist had seemed especially careful and protective of him today. He thought it had to do with the fact that Black Mist had been tortured by the Barians before but that wasn't the whole story. There was something else in the way he was moving and bristling at strangers. He wondered why that was. But he was suddenly glad the strange alien was with him. At least now he wasn't so alone or afraid. Don Thousand terrified him, and he was glad for Black Mist's strength.

Black Mist snarled a little at Lias as she pulled up her hood, and he grabbed Yuma's wrist again. His grip was firm but gentle as well, and he was careful that his claw like fingernails didn't cut the boy. Lias peeked out the door, checking for danger. She was searching very carefully for any signs, and she didn't dare move with there even being a single sign. Yuma fidgeted a little nervously, unsure what to do. He laid his free hand on Black Mist's, hoping to calm him a little. It only seemed to make the Astrian bristle more, and he pulled Yuma closer. Yuma ended up stumbling a bit and landing with his chest against Black Mist's back. Black Mist didn't really seem to mind.

Yuma paused here, looking down. He hadn't ever really been this close to Black Mist before, so he'd never really seen it. And his skin was so dark that they were hardly visible. But scars covered his whole body. Not a single limb, or his chest or back, was unscathed by the terrible wounds. Some were long and deep, some shallow and probably painful at one point. Some were from burns or blades, whips or other cruel instruments that Yuma was sick just imagining. The only scar on his head was his eye, but it was the most visible scar that he bore. Yuma felt saddened and a little sickened just looking at his skin. He couldn't imagine the pain he must have felt. Maybe that's why he was so determined to keep him so close, because he understood.

Yuma paused a moment, then reached up and laid his hand on the longest and most ferocious scar. It ran down his spine, just to the left of it, and it had once been a deep wound. It had been stitched together cruelly and painfully so he wouldn't die. Black Mist froze when he felt Yuma's hand on it, and he looked over his shoulder at the boy. There was such a tenderness in those eyes, such pity and somehow understanding. Yuma had always been that way, and it was this that made Black Mist like him so much. He had always just understood.

Black Mist couldn't help but shudder a little. He'd never let anyone touch any of his scars like that. He'd never even let Yuma really touch him that way. Before when he'd touched his back it had been because he had been terrified of Don Thousand. He hated people to touch his back, and there were so many bad memories associated with it. But he knew well that he could trust Yuma. He didn't try to pull away or push the boy away. Yuma noticed instantly and paused, looking up. Black Mist wasn't looking at him anymore, and he looked almost a little bit frightened. Yuma knew that it must have been hard on him to just trust anyone this much. Black Mist glanced back at Yuma, and their eyes met.

Black Mist blushed, making his face turn a darker shade of black than it already was. He didn't understand how Yuma could make him so confused and flustered. He wasn't sure what he was feeling or what the name of it could be. He'd never felt anything like it at all. Yuma saw him looking at him and gave him a small smile. That made Black Mist's heart race a little and he quickly looked forward again. Yes, he loved that smile. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to understand how or why Yuma could make him feel that way. But he snarled a little, determined that he wasn't going to let the boy be hurt.

"Come on," Lias said quietly. "We have to go."

Black Mist said nothing but tugged Yuma after him as he followed Lias. She made a careful path down the hallway, carefully plotting the safest escape she could for them. She couldn't have them getting hurt or falling behind. Black Mist and Yuma followed the child, leaving the room and the door behind them. The girl seemed to have a good idea where it was that she was going. It made Black Mist want to not trust her even more. But right now she was the only hope he had of keeping Yuma safe.

Lias suddenly changed directions, leaping down another hallway. Black Mist hesitated a moment, but then heard voices coming down the hall towards them. He took off after her again, dragging Yuma along behind him. Yuma couldn't go nearly as fast as he could, especially considering the fact that Black Mist could pretty much fly freely and he was stumbling along behind him on the ground. But Yuma didn't complain and just ran on. Lias took another turn and then paused, looking out a window on a balcony. She pulled it open. Black Mist looked down. They were nearly three stories up.

"_There's no way that Yuma could make that jump,_" Black Mist growled as she prepared to leap out.

She was stronger than Yuma and she knew ways to leap off the side of the building to slow her descent so she wasn't hurt. Yuma didn't, and he stared with wide eyes down at the meadow below. The grass was an odd red color, and not too far away there was a town. Lias looked at the Astrian.

"We don't have a choice," she said. "There's no other way out from here. We can't go back down that hallway or they'll catch us."

"_Fine,_" Black Mist snarled.

Without asking for Yuma's permission, he grabbed Yuma and scooped him up into his arms, cradling him in his arms gently, careful with him. But he knew that Yuma couldn't make that jump and he didn't want him getting hurt. Yuma yelped in surprise and grabbed Black Mist's arm in confusion, but Black Mist's growl quickly quieted his yelp. They were quiet for a moment, glancing towards the door, but no one had heard them.

"B-Black Mist?" Yuma asked.

"_Shut up,_" Black Mist growled, but with almost a purr in his voice. "_You can't make that jump. I'm not going to let you get hurt. So just hold on._"

Yuma felt his face flush beat red suddenly. He was embarrassed but he also felt strangely happy. He supposed it was because he liked Black Mist. He really did. He had been together with Black Mist for a while. But he wasn't sure what Black Mist thought of him. He'd come a long way, but would it be enough for him to like him back? He wasn't sure, but he decided he'd rather not say anything. Black Mist forced himself not to glance at Yuma. He was absolutely adorable right now with his face like that, and he didn't need to be distracted by it. He clutched Yuma a little closer to his chest and then went over to the window as well.

Lias leaped out, and Black Mist paused, carefully bringing Yuma with him through the window. Then he carefully glanced around. He didn't see anyone, so he carefully glided down to the ground. Here he paused by Lias, glancing back up towards the castle. Then he set Yuma down. Yuma turned to look at him and gasped when he saw Black Mist fly back up to the window. He was nervous that the Astrian would be seen. But he closed the window again and returned uneventfully to the other two, pulling his hood farther over his face. Without glancing at Yuma, Black Mist grabbed his wrist again and tugged him after Lias who had taken off running again.

Yuma wasn't really too sure what was going on at this point or how he was supposed to feel about it. But he decided that he didn't really have too much to do at this point other than to follow Black Mist, who wasn't saying anything. Lias ducked as soon as she could into a side street, then leaped into an alley way, ducking under an obstacle and leaping over another. Black Mist hesitated a moment, then leaped after her, tugging Yuma and keeping him close. They had to slow down severely several times so Yuma could make his way through the obstacles after them. Lias seemed impatient but wouldn't leave him behind. Black Mist on the other hand growled at her a little whenever she seemed impatient. He was very patient with Yuma and helped him over boxes and other such things in their way through the back streets of the city so Yuma wouldn't hurt himself. Once, going over a fence, Yuma fell with a yelp, but Black Mist was there to catch him. He steadied Yuma carefully on his feet.

Yuma paused, just staring down at Black Mist's chest. He couldn't bring himself to look at his face. He could feel himself blushing again. But Black Mist's hands just lingered on his arms a minute, looking down at him to make sure that he was alright. Yuma just continued to blush a little. Black Mist watched him a moment, wondering why he was blushing. Then he shook his head and took Yuma's wrist again, dragging him after the impatient Barian. Yuma was a little surprised. He hadn't realized that Black Mist was that strong. He supposed it was because he looked rather thin. He hadn't expected him to be so strong. But he supposed that he had to become so. Yuma had to admit to himself that it felt rather nice. He'd never really liked someone like that before. But he supposed he was only thirteen. It was a little young to be worrying about love. But in a world that was falling apart and facing a journey he'd never even known existed, he knew that he had to stick close to Black Mist anyway, and he was growing up faster than he would have normally.

At last Lias paused, looking at a door that was partially hidden behind a trash can. It wouldn't even open all the way, but she opened it and slid just inside. Yuma and Black Mist followed, Yuma having a bit of trouble wriggling his way inside. The door was closed, and Lias visibly relaxed, letting her hood fall. Black Mist relaxed as well, releasing Yuma's wrist. Lias took off the cloak, wearing much flashier clothing underneath, and she took the two cloaks from Yuma and Black Mist as well. The two outsiders began to look around the room with great interest. It was simple, but they had the feeling that it held many more secrets. Black Mist floated up to his usual space beside Yuma, slightly above him and to the boy's left so the boy was standing on his right side. Then he was more comfortable with turning his head to take the room in with more interest.

"Come," Lias said. "We must go farther inside. You will be safe here for now, but you must soon return to your world. However first you must meet with the leader of our order."

The two looked at her, slightly perplexed as well as nervous. They had no idea where they were, but they both supposed it was better than being at the mercy of Don Thousand. They had little hope to get out of here unless one of the Barians opened a portal for them. While Astrians could fly, Barians could naturally make portals that could travel even as far away as Earth. It was their only chance of escaping Barian World now that they were here. Until then they wouldn't be able to escape. They didn't like it much, but at least here they had more of a chance than stuck in that place with Don Thousand. Lias turned without waiting for an answer and opened another door, slipping inside. They followed.

There were several things that they noticed at once. They followed a long staircase down, far down beneath the city where there were no lights for a long time. Then once they reached the end they found that they were inside of a city beneath the city, created completely out of red crystals that glowed on their own and formed a city that hung from the ceiling above down below to the polished floor. They both stared in awe at the structures, where skyscrapers and houses were cut into the stone and melded above with the stone. People walked the streets, hundreds perhaps, maybe even more. Then they noticed something startling about the people: everyone looked the same.

The girls all looked very similar to Lias, pink skin, silver eyes, white marks on their faces and some version of red hair. They nodded pleasantly to Lias as they passed, and they glanced at the outsiders with only some interest before hustling on their way, performing their own business. The males on the other hand were also very similar. They all had some form of blue hair, which whether dark or light seemed to stand out against their varying shades of green skin. Their eyes were also blue and there were red marks on their faces. Everyone had different shades of skin and eyes and hair, but they were all the same color. Their body types were different, as were their ages. But the fact that they were so similar was odd to say the least.

It was different for Astrians, who all basically looked the same. It was coded into their DNA. Humans and Barians however were all made differently and had many skin tones and hair colors. There was much variety. To see so little variety here was odd to say the least. Neither was really sure what to do about it. But then Lias looked at them.

"Come," she said. "She is waiting. We must go."

They were unsure who she was, but they knew that they had to go and meet with her none the less. They followed Lias through the crowd as she showed them they way they were supposed to go. Soon the crowd thinned out and they came to the biggest building. Lias went directly inside, and they followed. Soon they were lost within the corridors and had no idea how they were supposed to find their way out of it. Lias stopped at last at a door and knocked, causing the room to boom loudly with an echo.

"Who is it?" came a beautiful voice from within.

"It's me," Lias replied. "I brought them."

"Let them in," the voice replied kindly.

Lias turned to look at both of them, looking them up and down as if trying to decide whether or not they were presentable. She at last sighed and decided that they were as good as they were going to get now. Then she gave them a very serious tone.

"This is our leader," Lias said. "I must go now. But I hope we can meet again."

Lias turned and left then, and they watched her go. For a minute, Yuma was confused. She said that, but her tone made him unsure if she was really hoping that they could meet again. He decided that he didn't really like Barians. They hadn't made much of a good first impression. He looked at Black Mist, who shrugged, and then pushed the great doors opened. They entered the room, which was almost like a throne room, but small in scale. The throne too was an odd design, and there was a terminal next to it with computer screens floating next to it. Not a throne room Yuma decided.

Then they noticed the smiling woman. She looked like the others as well, except her skin was pink, her eyes were red, the marks on her cheeks were white, and her hair was silver. It hung almost to the floor it was so long, and she wore a very beautiful dress that fit her form well, a glittering red thing, both elegant and yet inviting. She swept past them, closing the door gently. The two boys just watched her a moment. Neither had ever seen a creature as beautiful as her, though Black Mist supposed his mother could be if she had actually dressed up more nicely than she usually had. Yuma got the feeling that if she had a mouth she would be smiling. She turned to them with her kind eyes.

"Welcome," she said. "To Barian World. I'm sorry that your welcome here was so poor and brought forward by Don Thousand. I promise that we are not all so demanding or cruel."

Yuma got the feeling that she had directed that statement to Black Mist. It was obvious that he was unsure what to make of the woman. Usually he would snarl at any Barian he met. He only knew cruelty from them, and even though he knew they weren't all evil that was hard to forget. However this woman seemed so kind and gentle he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Suddenly acting uncharacteristic and shy, he floated behind Yuma as if hiding from her gaze, watching her carefully. She just smiled patiently and looked instead at Yuma.

"There's so much riding on the two of you," she said. "The prophecy has long been lost, forgotten and only pieces of it remain, creating a very broken and fragmented version. There is little known, and we only know what the lines say, not the lines themselves. Still, there is much that the two of you must accomplish. The fate of all three worlds rests with you. But do not fear. There are those that would help you, if you only know where to look."

"What's going on here?" Yuma asked. "Why is Barian World like this in the first place? Or mine?"

"Ah I see," she said. "You seek answers. Very well, I will tell you. I don't know why your world is the way it is, but I suspect that Don Thousand knew that this Great War must be finished when the human world ends. So he ended it himself. But as to how, not even I have a clue. That is something you would have to ask him. This world is like this because of Don Thousand as well. When he first appeared, the Barian Emperors felt his presence but were unsure of it. It was one of them, a Barian by the name of Vector, that first warned them that there was something wrong. He was the first to go, the first to be controlled by Don Thousand. And Don Thousand loves suffering. He drove the boy mad. The others instantly noticed them that something was wrong, but one by one they too fell to Don Thousand's darkness. I believe it is because they were mostly distracted with their concern for Vector. If we could free Vector we could free them all. But Don Thousand knows this as well and keeps him hidden. We have tried and failed many times to find him. Three of them escaped his influence though and they freed you Black Mist from Don Thousand though they weren't sure who you were at the time. Then they were injured badly and forced to be reborn on Earth as humans. You may have even met them before."

"Reborn as humans?" Yuma asked in surprise.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "as humans. They live in the human world. There are similarities between all three races. Barians and Astrians are more advanced races with more technologies, but Astrians and Humans are short lived creatures while Barians can lived several centuries. But most importantly we are all people, we all have desires and needs, love and hate. We are the same, though for many years we pretended we weren't. So as humans they protected themselves, and also they will have learned the strength of humans that we hadn't seen before. More than our strengths and powers, humans have heart. And it is this that will turn the tide of this ancient war."

"But why is everyone here the same?" Yuma asked, confused. Black Mist was still watching the woman nervously.

"Ah," she said. "Because after the Emperors fell we needed a governing body. The people do not want to follow Don Thousand, but they have no strength to defy him. He controls our Emperors, and our only hope lies in the three that escaped and are no where to be seen, and strangers from other worlds. They are disheartened. So we were formed. Our Order is called the Crystal Order because of the caves you see. We are an underground organization that fights Don Thousand for his control and protects the people from his cruelty. We were originally only a few members, all very similar in appearance because we wanted to prove to Don Thousand that we are all the same, even if we don't looked the same or act the same. We used this to show our race's stability. But when he started attacking those who looked similar to us, we took them into our city. But inside our identities are forgotten. The girls all bear the name Lias and the males bare the name Rigin. These names were taken from human words, Alias, a name that is not your name, and Origin, as in the beginning of all things. With these names we hope to shape our future and start anew, and with no ties to our past lives we become stronger."

"I'm not sure if I follow," Yuma said, seeming a little confused still. "It seems odd to me. But I think I get it." Lias just laughed gently.

"I know it is difficult to understand," she said. "It's a strange concept."

"_But why are you helping us?_" Black Mist asked, finally breaking his silence.

"That is simple," Lias said with a smile. "Because we want to protect our people, as you wish to protect yours. But also because we know that you must be the ones to decide this war. It was me who the Key Master of Astral contacted. He is one of the Barian Emperors, the leader named Nasch, but who goes by another name now. He didn't want for our hope to fail. Black Mist, your brother will be pivotal in this war, as will Nasch. But it is you who will decide the war. Black Mist this war began again when Don Thousand took you. Then it truly began because the Astrians were again involved in the war. Yuma this war began with you because you were the first Human to be touched by Don Thousand's influence. You were the first human to be involved in this war. All three races must be present at the end. That much is true. But it is the two of you that this storm centers around. Both sides fight for your allegiance. If Don Thousand could have you he would. If we could we would. Ultimately the decision lies with you. But that is why we must help you."

"_How are we supposed to decide a war?_" Black Mist asked, a little irritated.

"That too is simple," Lias said with a small smile. "That is because the bond and link you share is strong. I can sense it even across your very souls. Two distant souls that come together as one." Suddenly Black Mist gasped.

"_Do you mean Zexal?_" he asked. Yuma just looked confused.

"Yes," Lias said with a nod. "The power to combine souls. When two distant souls become one it creates a being more powerful than any other, a being that has unlocked the potential of many races. It hasn't been done in a thousand years, and it is complicated. But I think the two of you are strong enough to do it."

Black Mist glanced at Yuma, suddenly wondering about it. He knew that Yuma was strong. But would they be able to actually preform a Zexal Transformation like Lias had said? He wasn't even sure how to do it. He'd heard stories of it and he'd heard how great creatures like that could be. But he'd also heard terrible tales of those who had tried and failed. To do it, they would have to have a perfect understanding and trust of one another. Yuma just looked up, unsure of the term.

"Zexal?" he asked. "What's that?"

"Zexal is a power where two strengths become one and the weaknesses of both become smaller because of the combined souls," Lias replied with a patient smile. "It is a power that many creatures in the universe know. Creatures who achieve Zexal are some of the most powerful in the universe. It is the power that replaced Chaos that Don Thousand uses, the only power that could defeat him. You are aware that monsters can be overlaid to create stronger monsters? This too can be done with souls, and then creatures of great power are created. With this power you could put a stop to Don Thousand once and for all."

"_How are we even supposed to do it though?_" Black Mist growled. "_It's not something we're taught._"

"I'm sure it won't be hard," Lias said gently. "It is said that the universe and everything was created by the Big Bang, which means that we were all at one point one single thing, one single point in existence. So in that way we are the same. Because of this, legends say that all people understand how to reach Zexal, if only they can search their souls for the answer. I cannot help you reach Zexal. I don't know the answer myself. You two must find it on your own. But I can begin you down that path. The art of touching another's mind is difficult and hard to learn. Black Mist you can only do it because Yuma wears your key. It takes many of your lifetimes to learn this skill, and this is time neither of you have. But I too can cast spells as Don Thousand can. I can cast a spell over you that will connect your minds. It is terrible, but it is a blessing as well. You will learn everything there is to know about each other, but you will share every single thought and emotion between you. It will prove a distraction at first, but you can grow used to it as well. Once you can master this and learn all there is to know between the two of you, then you can search for the answer together. You will understand each other perfectly, and then you could reach Zexal."

Black Mist and Yuma turned to look at each other. They were unsure what they were supposed to say. They could say yes, but they were unsure what the other would think. What would that mean for them? They would be able to hide nothing from each other. Absolutely nothing. But then again, did they really have anything to hide? Both were unsure of the other's feelings for them, but both trusted the other. There really wasn't a reason to say no. At last they both turned to look at her.

"_We don't really have a choice do we?_" Black Mist asked. "_This is too important._"

"If it's to save everyone," Yuma added. "We'll do it." Lias smiled.

"I knew you would," she said. "You're both sweet boys, both so knowing in the ways of this world, and also both so kind. Very well. I'll cast the spell on you. It'll feel very strange. But I'll send you to a place not far from where you were taken, but one where you can hide for a while until you get used to it. I think it would be unwise for you to venture out before then. It could be dangerous. I know a safe place I can send you."

Both nodded, and she smiled again. She reached forward and laid her hands on their foreheads. Black Mist flinched a little, but he didn't pull away. For a few moments she was silent, then she began to murmur in another language, one neither of them recognized. They just blinked, watching her a minute. Then they both gasped as pain erupted across their skulls. They stepped back quickly, and both felt surprised. Then confusion spread across their minds as the turned and looked at each other with wide eyes. They could feel the other's emotions!

They couldn't exactly read each other's thoughts. They would have to talk to each other through their minds for that, but they could sense it basically, and the emotions that they felt. They were even more surprised that both of them had a similar urge to assure the other that everything was alright. Lias laughed, a pure and clear sound. Black Mist felt irritation at the sound, and Yuma was just too surprised to feel much else. Though the sound did make Yuma feel good for some reason, and so Black Mist felt a little pleased as well, which he couldn't hide. Both were surprised at this.

"You see?" she asked gently. "You already understand each other well, well enough to feel mostly the same emotion at the same time. It's not that surprising. Key Masters and those within the Keys often become close because they spend so much time together. It's not even uncommon for them to fall in love."

Both of them instantly felt embarrassed but a little pleased at the thought, and then instantly surprised to feel the other feel the same way. They met each other's eyes, and both instantly blushed. Black Mist's face became a dark black color, and Yuma's became a dark red. They were surprised, pleased, and confused. So they both liked each other? They might not have ever have found out if their minds had not been linked. They'd have to talk about it later. It wasn't exactly something they could hide anymore anyway. Lias just smiled gently.

"I see," she said. "You two are rather cute together. And love knows no bounds. If it is true then you shouldn't fight it. But come, I've kept you long enough. Return to Earth. It's there that your path lies. I'll tell Nasch and Astral that you have returned to Earth. They'll be greatly relieved. You two rest and prepare. The battle will be long."

She turned and raised her hand, and suddenly the air crackled a little. A vortex began to spin, a soft pink color that seemed to make the room seem brighter and more inviting suddenly, unlike the portal that Don Thousand had made that had made them feel so unnerved. It wasn't something that they wanted to experience again. They nodded their thanks to her and stepped through the portal together. And both felt that they had a lot to talk about suddenly.

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><p><strong>What do you guys think of that take on Zexal? I thought it would be interesting. I'll explain more about it later and we'll get some more depth. The next chapter goes to Astral and Shark again, and we'll get to see them do some things. YAY! Anyway, after that we'll go back to Yuma and Black Mist and get some more cute stuff from them. Because let's face it, I did that because I couldn't help but basically reveal their love to each other. Also it's important for Zexal and will be used in the storyline later. And it's cute. Mostly because it's cute. I'm not sure if I want to have Shark and Astral achieve Zexal. I suppose we'll see when we get there. <strong>


	9. Fire and Fury

**Alright guys! I'm here with chapter nine! You guys really seemed to like the last one. o.o I barely had it posted and then checked this morning and saw that you guys had leaped right on it. I'm glad you guys are liking the story so much, and since I have more inspiration right now for this one I'll post more on this one. I am working on Shadows of Egypt though.**

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><p><strong>Shout outs to thor94, Sakura Tsukumo, CatLoverx33, YuGiOhRox, and My Reality Is My Own! Thanks for your reviews! I've read them, and you guys seem to have mixed feelings on the Zexal with Astral and Shark, and their relationship status still. Again, I suppose we'll see when we get there. Thanks for you confidence! Also shout outs to everyone who favorited or followed! It means a lot guys!<strong>

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><p><strong>Anyway, onto the story!<strong>

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><p>Chapter Nine: Fire and Fury<p>

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><p>Shark paused a moment as his cell phone rang. He only kept it because his human friends wanted to keep in contact with him. They had already called him several times that week, trying to figure out what was going on, and they were nervous that they had been gone so long. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the number. It was Rio. But why was she calling him? She had worried about him, but she was usually satisfied with hearing from the others that he was alright, and Tori had already called him today. He was slightly worried. Astral glanced towards the phone as well, more interested in it now that he could see Shark's concern. Shark picked up the phone.<p>

"Hello?" he asked.

"Nasch it's Merag," came the instant reply. Shark paused a moment. Merag was a Barian Emperor, the only girl, but that was Rio's voice speaking over the phone. He chuckled a little. They had been siblings for a long time, so why shouldn't they be reborn as siblings on Earth?

"I guess I should have seen that coming," Shark replied. "Though, it's a little dangerous to use our real names, don't you think?"

"Well it was the easiest way to explain," Merag sighed. "Though I'm not sure the others believe me yet. They're giving me some weird looks. The energy level is approaching what we need to take our Barian forms, but that might be a while yet. And I'm not sure I want to since Don Thousand as the one who hurt my eyes in the first place."

"Well it's not just us that I'm worried about right now," Shark growled.

"What do you mean?" Rio asked, obviously confused.

"Well," Shark sighed. "It seems that Don Thousand was the one who hurt Black Mist and changed him so much, which unfortunately makes way too much sense. He did the same with Vector. But it also seems that Yuma IS the Key Master for Black Mist, and that he somehow managed to change Black Mist. He's not insane anymore, though he's bound to not be the same as he once was. The problem is that Don Thousand captured them both. Black Mist refused to help Don Thousand, but there's no telling what's going on there. Black Mist might even be willing to take extreme measures just to stop Don Thousand from winning." He gave Astral an apologizing glance, and the Astrian looked sick at the thought again.

"What?" Rio gasped. "What are we going to do? Don Thousand has already hurt so many people! Including our friends..." Rio's voice dropped away guiltily. He knew she was thinking of Vector. They hadn't listened and he had been hurt badly because of it.

"I know," he sighed. "I've asked Lias to help them if she can and-"

Suddenly Shark cut off. He was getting a message from Barian World. Astral turned his eyes to Shark, both confused and a little concerned. He didn't just cut off for no reason. He had his eyes closed, listening. The phone was still to his ear though, and Rio was even more unnerved by his sudden silence. He could hear the others fidgeting nervously when she next spoke.

"Nasch?" she called quietly, knowing that he would answer. "What's wrong?" There were a few more seconds of silence where the others seemed nervous. Then he shook his head.

"Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his throbbing head. Everyone relaxed a little. "I wish you wouldn't both talk to me at once. Lias just contacted me from the other world. She said they successfully got the two of them away, and she's sent them back to Earth now. We have to find them before Don Thousand's Barians do again. We can't let anymore of our allies be taken by him, even if they are...unconventional allies."

Astral was greatly relieved by this piece of information. He knew he should have realized that something was wrong and he felt like he should have helped his brother more. But he was glad that he was safe for now and he wasn't insane anymore. He didn't expect him to be like he was before. He knew that was asking too much. But he was glad to know that he was alright. He wanted suddenly to find his brother and make it up to him somehow. He wanted badly to tell everyone back home too. He wanted everyone to know that he was back and he was alright. Maybe they wouldn't be hurt so badly anymore, especially his mother. But though he could send brief glimpses and messages he could send no words, and he was sure it would be misunderstood. More than anything though, he wanted to protect his brother. Astral was older, if only by a few seconds. And he felt an older brother's need to protect the other, even though they were twins. He was determined that Don Thousand wasn't going to touch his brother again.

"I understand," Rio said. "But be careful Nasch."

"I know," Nasch replied gently. "I know. I have to go. Bye."

With that he hung up the phone and looked at Astral. He was glad to see a little fire in the Astrian's eyes now. He was worried about his brother now, but he knew that since he had escaped, he had to go find him. Shark understood this well. If it had been Rio that had been in Black Mist's shoes he would have done everything he could to try and help her. Astral gave Shark a closer look.

"_Is this really alright?_" Astral asked. "_For you to be on this quest I mean. Your friends are the other Barian Emperors, and they're controlled by Don Thousand. They may be under his control, but they'll be forced to say things that will hurt you, and it won't be easy for you to defeat them. I think that's what Don Thousand is counting on._"

"Yes," Shark sighed. "It will be hard. But that's something that I'll have to deal with. I'm the leader of the Seven Barian Emperors. My job is to protect my people and do my duty to my friends, even if it's painful or I have to hurt them to do it. I have to save them, and that might involve hurting them. But that's a price I'm willing to pay for them, even if it costs me my own life."

"_Sometimes I wish I had that same strength,_" Astral sighed. "_I feel like I might do the same, but I'm not sure I could do it so fearlessly._" Shark smiled.

"I'm older than you," Shark said. "Though my body doesn't look that way. So you think that because of this, that I am wiser than you. But I fear death just as much as you. Fear isn't anything to be afraid of Astral. Fear has helped countless people survive for countless years on countless planets. The only thing there is to fear from fear, is that it overrides what we know is right and must be done. Do you want to defeat Don Thousand?"

"_Yes,_" Astral replied. "_With everything I have. I don't want him to hurt anyone else._"

"Then you have your purpose," Shark replied. "And you have no need to fear your fear. You can master it now. And this way, you can achieve what you must."

Astral paused and looked at Shark. He was a Barian, and he had already lived hundreds of years. He was an old creature, and ancient by Astral's standards but still young to his. He seemed wise to Astral, very wise. But he also knew that Shark was strong in character. That's why he was the leader of the Seven Barian Emperors. Astral realized that was why he led them, because he knew that they needed that strength and he was right for the job. Then he paused.

"_Shark,_" Astral said. "_You were captured by Don Thousand too once right? What happened?_"

Shark was quiet for a moment and said nothing, but the look on his face was enough to tell Astral that it was something personal and something hurtful. Astral was about to apologize for bringing it up and hurting his friend, but Shark suddenly looked up and met his eyes. Yes, it was painful. But it was something that he was willing to share. That was better than holding it inside until it became something far worse.

"It wasn't pleasant," Shark began. "And I hated every single second of it. When Vector first warned us, I didn't want to believe him. I refused to. I wanted to believe that our peace hadn't been interrupted. I was blind. But Vector had always also been a bit of a prankster. I thought he was just pulling some cruel joke. But then I realized it was getting serious. He started acting very oddly. Like there was something he was afraid of. Then suddenly one day he just snapped. He ran away, and we were too startled to do anything. He disappeared shortly after. Then it was when Don Thousand came to me. He threatened to kill Vector and the other Seven Barian Emperors if I didn't submit to him. I didn't put anything past him after all the stories I'd heard. He probably would have killed them if I didn't agree and so I did. I had to protect them. That was my job. But it was still painful."

Astral said nothing. Shark was quiet for a moment. Astral just waited a moment, knowing that it was painful. It was painful to remember how he had failed Black Mist, and he understood that he felt like he had failed his friends and his people. It was a heavy load to bear. Shark seemed to be wrestling with the pain for a moment, before he finally looked up again.

"He used some sort of spell on me," Shark continued. "It made me follow his orders and say things like he wanted me to, and do so convincingly. I was never aware of what I was doing at the time but afterwords I would be. He made me try and betray my friends, though we'd been together for so long that they were very confused. They didn't understand why I had changed so much. He had me terrorize them for a long time, nearly killing one of them at one point, Dumon I think. I can't recall for sure. It was then that many of them had gotten angry with me and tried to drive me away. Don Thousand loves to see people suffer, and he loved to see me suffer because what he had made me do. After a while however while we played this game, Don Thousand finally revealed himself to the others. Of course he took great delight in telling them that he had been controlling me for a long time, and that there was a good chance I would die. That wasn't a lie. They'd injured me pretty badly at that point, thinking I'd betrayed them. That of course hurt them greatly. They were angry with him, but there wasn't much they could do because he disappeared too quickly, and then he made me reappear with him to prove that I was under his control. He told them that he'd captured both me and Vector, which of course greatly distressed them. And then it was obvious to me that they weren't going to be able to withstand him for long."

Shark started pacing suddenly, seeming very upset. Astral just watched him and said nothing. He knew that sometimes the best way to heal someone was simply to listen. What had happened was horrible, but he needed to tell someone. It was obvious that Shark was upset about what he'd been forced to do, and he probably felt guilty for it. Now that he had escaped it, he wanted nothing more to save his friends from the torture that he only understood too well. But that would be easier said than done. That was part of the reason he'd been so willing to team up with Astral. If Astral could help him save his friends and his people then he would save them, and Astral was his friend now as well, even if he was a nobody from Astral World. Astral too knew he was Shark's friend, and he knew that right now he needed someone to listen and understand. Shark was suddenly glad that Astral was so patient, and always so patient. He didn't seem upset at all as a few minutes passed by while Shark worked up the courage to speak again. He was listening, and that's what Shark needed most right now.

"He threatened to not only kill Vector but also me," Shark continued. "And he also nearly killed me to prove it. The others however instantly begged him to stop and let me go. He of course didn't let me go, but he made his demands. He wanted to begin a war against Astral World. They didn't really have much else of a choice but to give him the military and the funding, finding those people among our race who were fanatic enough to think his plan was a good one. Then fearing for both my and Vector's safety they one by one fell to Don Thousand and willingly, as I had, let him cast the same spell over him. Alit went first. He was always a rather sweet boy, though also a little hyperactive and always wanting to fight something or spar. He loved sparring. Merag followed closely after because even then we were siblings and she worried greatly over both of us, the only female in the group. Then Gilag soon fell under the spell. He is strong but his mind isn't the strongest, and since Alit was his best friend in the group he didn't last long without him. Mizael and Dumon took more time. Mizael was stubborn and Dumon was considered our shield. But eventually Mizael was overcome by Don Thousand's power and Dumon fell to him as well because he was left alone. He fought for a long time, still trying to be our shield, but eventually having no strength left. Don Thousand made us torture him so until he at last didn't have the strength to fight. Not physically, but mentally yes. And that was very hard on all of us I think, though the only thoughts I can be certain of are my own."

Shark stopped pacing and then sighed, looking very drained. Then he looked down. Astral floated over a little closer and then laid his hand on his shoulder, hoping to give him some sort of comfort. Shark looked up at him and offered him a small sad smile. He was glad that Astral was here to listen to him. He really needed it right now. His memories from his past life were still vague, but this pain he remembered in vivid detail. It was one of the few things he remembered very well at all, and he needed to get it off his chest. Astral gave him an encouraging smile. Shark found it a little odd. If not for Don Thousand, he would have never realized how great a friend Astral was. But he was glad for his company now.

"Eventually as well all fell under his sway," Shark continued. "he made us begin to terrorize our own people. They soon realized that something was very wrong and they quickly figured out who was behind it. We'd always ruled them fairly and with good will, but Don Thousand was not so kind a ruler. He ruled with an iron fist. Eventually a woman named Lias who had taken over keeping our people strong for us, managed to break the spell on three of us. It was a complicated process and a long one. She only managed three though, because Don Thousand quickly detected the treason and altered the spells on the others. He tried to reseal us as well, but the damage had been done. Merag, Alit, and I managed to escape his spell and turned run. We had heard of a prisoner, and we decided to set them free as well. It turns out that this was your brother. But Don Thousand severely injured all of us and badly hurt my sister's eyes, badly enough that even now she bares that wound. That was how powerful the Chaos he used against us was. We fled to Earth and on our way we were mixed up and injured and ended up getting reborn as humans. It turned out to be the perfect protection. Our people and our friends think that we're dead. But Don Thousand knows differently and so does Lias and her organization. But our people and friends don't, and that keeps them weak."

"_Because they miss you_?" Astral asked.

"Yes," Shark replied sadly. "They will miss us. All three of us have our shortcomings and our weaknesses. None of us are perfect and we don't pretend to be. But to our friends we were dear friends, and practically family. I know it's painful for them because they think they have lost us. It will be a heavy blow to our friends and our people. But also because Barian Emperors can only choose their own successors. We aren't immortal, and no one else can chose for them. If one dies and there is no successor then the number falls. There were once as many as twenty Emperors of the Barians, but the number is only seven now. And now they think that there's only four. They've lost hope. Even if they do survive this, they think we're gone. They don't fight Don Thousand because they've lost hope. There would be only four of them, and they can't stand to think that we're gone. This is how Don Thousand is still controlling my friends. That's why they can't fight him. They're too hurt by this lie. The people however want revenge, and so they're trying to help Lias and her Order as much as they can. They want revenge for us. This is why I have to fight. I have to make sure that Don Thousand falls. Because my people still fight and my friends are hurt very badly because of him. That's why I can't give up."

"_I understand Shark,_" Astral said with a smile. "_I know how hard it is, and I know what it's like to be hurt by Don Thousand as well. And now that I know your story and what you fight for, I know that I have to help you. It'll be a tough journey and we'll have to face a lot together, but we can do it. I know we can. We'll fight for your friends._"

"Thank you Astral," Shark said quietly. "It means a lot to me, it really does."

For a while they said nothing, just sitting there and watching the sky. The sky looked different here than on their own worlds, such a beautiful blue color. They supposed there was a reason for that and a whole logical response that they could get into, but they didn't really feel like it. They just knew that it was a very beautiful color. Suddenly though, both had an odd feeling.

Shark turned to look at Astral, and the Astrain looked back. They weren't quite sure what they were exactly feeling, but they felt that there was something going on. Astral and Shark snarled and turned around. They found themselves face to face with a Barian. He was obviously a Barain. His skin was a light brown color and his hair was dark black. The marks on his cheeks were yellow, and his eyes were a bright orange. Both of them snarled a little at him. The look on his face was absolutely delighted. Shark bristled more though because he was more familiar with what his kind could do. The leader in him suddenly asserted itself, as did his natural instinct to protect others. He stepped in front of Astral, still bearing himself proudly.

"Who are you?" he snarled. "What do you want?"

"That doesn't really matter, does it Nasch?" the Barian asked with glee. "To think you'd actually be alive! Where are the other two then huh? If I can kill you then think of all the rewards I'd be given! The Emperors have plagued us long enough! I'm going to rid us of your kind that won't repent once and for all!"

"You think it's that simple?" Shark growled.

"I know it is," the Barian smirked. "Because I can see your weak flanks. You've become soft Nasch. That Astrian can't protect himself unless we summon monsters, and we're not dueling. Do you think you can protect him and yourself?"

"_You obviously underestimate me,_" Astral replied calmly with his arms crossed. "_I was taught how to fight without monsters._"

"I doubt it," the Barian snorted. "Your kind are too fond of peace. If you can actually fight then I'll be surprised. You don't even have a weapon on you, and you can't summon weapons like we can."

Shark suddenly felt very worried. Like how they could open portals, Barians could create small pockets of space where they could store and summon weapons from. It made it easier on them because they wouldn't have to worry about carrying weapons around and slowing them down. Astral however didn't have a single weapon on him, and he looked very thin and not at all like a warrior. He wasn't too sure how Astrian's fight, and he'd heard they used other forms of magic to fight at times, like altering their bodies, which he'd heard mentioned before with Black Mist's tentacles. But he didn't see how Astral could really fight. However the Astrian looked fairly self assured and he didn't look nervous at all. Still, how would magic rank up against a real weapon?

The Barian across from them seemed to be thinking the same thing. With a smirk he raised his hand and opened a portal, quickly summoning a sword to his hand. Shark snarled and knew that he had to act as well. He raised his own hand and summoned a sword as well, raising it with a snarl and preparing to strike. He glanced for a moment back at Astral. He didn't want him getting hurt. He was his friend, and he didn't want him forced anymore into this war than he had to be.

"Stay out of this," Shark said. "This is my battle. He challenged me." Astral looked surprised, and then nodded.

"_I understand,_" he replied. "_I will do as you ask._"

With that, Astral retreated a little and then crossed his arms again, watching carefully. Shark glared at the other Barian, making him pause a moment. It was a death glare that was all his own. When he used it, the other Barian Emperors had known to not get onto his bad side. When he had used it at his school before the world had ended, people had been suddenly reminded of a beast, and they had named him the most terrible one they could think of, both mysterious and well known as a ferocious beast: Shark. His hair also reminded them of tentacles so they had been strongly reminded of the sea anyway. Even this Barian faltered for a moment, unsure if he wanted to test that wrath. But then he seemed to shake out of his fear and snarled, beginning to circle Shark carefully. Shark began to circle him as well, keeping him away from him but ready to strike at all times.

The stranger glanced towards Astral once or twice, seeming to think that he was weak, but Astral obviously didn't miss the glance. Shark also bristled more when he did. He wasn't worried about Astral at all. He didn't seem like much of a threat. But Shark was known to be a great warrior. He wouldn't be much of a problem if he could take care of him. That's what he was going to do as well. But he wanted to wound him. Don Thousand taught all of those under him to know and love the pain that they could cause others, and so he wanted to hurt Shark badly. So he wanted to make sure that he did just that, and he had seen how much he had seemed to respect Astral, so he was going to take that from him. He was watching the Emperor carefully now. If he could take an opening he'd make sure he regretted it. He'd make him suffer slowly.

Shark bristled and then leaped forward. The two Barians met with clashing swords and ringing metal. Anyone who would have been watching this would have been utterly surprised to see what appeared to be a teenage boy facing with a creature that was nothing like had been seen on Earth before. They would have been utterly startled and they wouldn't be too sure what they were going to do at this point. But Shark was older than he looked, and now he was showing them that he was very good with the sword he wielded. But so was his foe. They were striving hard against each other, looking for an opening. But it was hard going.

They would pull back and then start circling. Again and again they would close with a resounding crash and ringing metal, both striving against the other. Though Shark looked psychically smaller and weaker he was bigger in his Barian form and so it made him powerful even in this form. But his opponent was patient and precise. He was going to make sure that he got past him. At last an idea seemed to form. He pretended to feint at Shark, then turned as if to attack Astral. Of course, Shark instantly leaped forward to prevent this and his foe who was prepared for him, turned and cut him across the chest. Shark yelped and dropped his sword, and the Barian turned to attack Astral.

Astral however was ready for him. It would have only taken him a few seconds to kill Astral otherwise, and Shark wouldn't have been able to pick up his blade in time to stop the attack. However Astral raised his hand as the blade descended and it struck a force field and bounced off, ringing loudly. The Barain froze in confusion and looked up.

"_You're right when you said I can't really fight you,_" Astral said. "_My attacks have never been strong. It was Black Mist who had a strong attack. But my defense is high, and you won't be able to touch me. Not while I can still cast spells. And my guess is that you don't know how to keep me from using those spells. By the way, don't turn your back on your enemy._"

At this point the Barian gasped and began to turn, but not before Shark managed to get a painful cut right across the Barian's back. He staggered away, suddenly looking terrified of the rage of the Barian Emperor. But Shark was done playing games. He marched straight up to the Barian and with one smooth motion beheaded him. He snarled a little, then replaced his sword where it had come from.

"_Was killing him really necessary?_" Astral asked.

"Unfortunately," Shark growled in reply, more in pain than in anger. "If I had let him live he would have run right back to Don Thousand and told him. Then he might have made one of the Barian Emperors come to finish what he started. Don't you think that would be even more torture? To learn that I was alive only to have one of them kill me themselves? You know he works that way as much as I do. He loves to see pain and suffering. I told you before that the Barians aren't evil, but have become cruel. I'm not exception to that. I killed him and I know that. If there was another way I wouldn't have, but there's no room for mercy now."

"_I see,_" Astral said quietly. "_Maybe after all this is over then you and your people can return to normal. If you are in war now, then you'll need peace. __I don't like it, but I do understand it. Now come here. Let me look at that wound._"

Shark was a little surprised but obliged, pulling off his shirt so the Astrian could take a look at it. He supposed that was one reason everyone seemed to like Astral. He seemed to understand every concept, even if it was difficult or cruel. He seemed to understand and would seek to understand. And he was so calm and patient. That's what made him such a good friend to Shark, though he'd hardly known him compared to all the long years of his life. He knew he could trust Astral.

"Soon," Shark sighed. "We'll go look for Yuma and Black Mist. We can't waste any time."

"_But we can't push you so hard that you fall apart,_" Astral countered with a look that told him that he would take no nonsense from him.

Shark just nodded a little to tell him that he understood and let the Astrian continue to look at the wound carefully. It was a little odd. If he could bring people to this moment from the past, when the war between both people were waging, they would be surprised. They'd long said that Astrians and Barians once they had split would never be able to get along, that they'd always bare scars and those scars would make them enemies. But now Shark couldn't help but let a small smile touch his lips. A Barian Emperor and a little known child from Astral World. That was who they were but it didn't define them. And it certainly couldn't explain the fact that both not only respected but trusted each other. Yes they were different, but they were not mortal enemies.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? I thought about having a Number battle, but I decided that I might as well introduce the fact that there are other types of battles that can happen in this universe. This one was a bit more of a gorey chapter I know, but I tried to not explain as much. I can go into some graphic detail and put a clear image into your head of exactly what they all looked like if you want, but I didn't think people would want that. <strong>

**Alright so after this we got back to Black Mist and Yuma, who are going to have some more cute interactions and confess their love to each other. YAY! I think we need that after this much more serious chapter. I hope you liked the backstory I slipped in for Shark though. ;3**


	10. Words of the Heart

**So here we are guys! This is chapter ten of Law of Cruelty! I'm planning on having Black Mist and Yuma confess their love for each other in this chapter, and maybe they'll run into someone interesting. Should be fun right? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm using it to set up some things that will happen later that will start to get things moving. I hope you guys enjoy and I hope to see what you think of this! Also again, this is lemon! The story line doesn't focus on just this fact. They're in the middle of a war. So yeah, nothing too much.**

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><p><strong>Shout outs! <strong>

**First of all to everyone who favorited and followed! That means a lot! Also to CrusoeTheWhiteDragon, My Reality Is My Own, utopianking, YuGiOhRox, Sakura Tsukumo, CatLoverx33 and Ryu-Ran 2200 for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so much! And to utopianking, I thought of having Dumon/Durbe be the other one free, but I thought it would be more interesting to have Alit because Dumon is going to prove to be a challenge for them, and because I just thought that Alit was one that would be helpful in some probably strange ways. So that's why.**

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><p><strong>Anyway, let's move on to the chapter!<strong>

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><p>Chapter Ten: Words of the Heart<p>

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><p>Yuma glanced once at Black Mist. The alien was sleeping now. They had managed to take shelter in an abandoned house. In fact this whole town was abandoned. And that meant that no one was around. This was the safe place that Lias had mentioned. Yuma had to admit that it was safer than most. There were rumors of monsters here, and that's why people didn't come here, but Lias had assured them that the monsters weren't real, only those of her order that touched down here. She had contacted them twice after they had landed.<p>

This house was one of the few where the roof was intact. That's why they had cleared a space on the floor and were here now. It was the safest place they had to rest. Though it had already been a few days, they were only now beginning to get used to the fact that their minds were connected closely, that they could literally hide nothing from each other. It had caused some awkward tension between the two of them. They had yet to say anything to each other. They didn't really need to though, and they were getting used to speaking in their minds if they had to. But they still preferred to speak out loud. It was a foreign concept to both of them.

Black Mist's mind distracted Yuma a moment. He was having some sort of nightmare. That much was obvious. But he couldn't understand anything more than a flow of fear and anger from him. Black Mist was curled up beside him, since he had refused for some reason to go back into the key until they'd straightened this whole confusing mess out. But he didn't move and didn't make any sound. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully. Yuma suddenly wondered how many nightmares he's suffered through quietly like this. After all the pain he'd been through, he'd forced himself to show no weaknesses, even if that meant pretending that he wasn't in pain at all. Yuma sighed a little, then reached over and laid his hand on Black Mist's shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.

Black Mist started a little, his eyes wide. But then he seemed to remember where he was. He looked up at Yuma and quickly tried to wipe the fear from his mind. Some of it still lingered though, and he suddenly felt guilty. Yuma just smiled at him a little though.

"_Sorry,_" Black Mist said. "_Did I wake you up?_"

"No," Yuma assured him. "I just couldn't sleep." Black Mist sat up and looked at him carefully.

"_Why not?_" Black Mist asked.

"I don't know," Yuma sighed. "I guess I'm just worried. About all of this. There's a lot riding on us right now."

"_I suppose,_" Black Mist sighed, leaning back against the wall next to Yuma and looking up out the window at the moon above them. "_But at least we're not alone. We can lean on each other if we still need to. And I think we both know that we'll need to. A lot._"

Yuma was quiet a moment, and then at last looked at Black Mist. There seemed to be some awkwardness between them even now. They both could tell that the other wanted to bring up the touchy subject. They needed to get it over with. But neither could really force themselves to say anything at all. Finally though, Yuma decided that the silence had gone on long enough. They'd have to leave soon, so they might as well get used to the idea.

"I guess," he sighed. "I guess we should talk. So, what do you really think of me?" Black Mist looked away.

"_It's complicated,_" he replied unhelpfully. Yuma sighed.

"Fine," he said. "I'll go first." He paused a moment, summoning up the courage to speak. "I guess...well I think you can already sense what I'm thinking, more or less. So I don't think it's a surprise. But well, I think you're kind. We've been through a lot together, and yeah you tried to kill me when we first met. But you've always been there if I needed your help, and even though you beat me up while doing it, you were the only person who seemed to be able to teach me how to actually play Duel Monsters at all. But you're also very strong. I know you're not what you once were, but you're not what Don Thousand wanted you to be. There's a lot of strength in you, and it isn't just physical either. Somewhere inside you weren't ready to give up and go insane. So you didn't. But more than that, I like you as a person, because I got to know the real Black Mist. You have a sense of honor and justice that's very strong, and you do your best to help me even when I mess up. I know that your family would be proud to see where you've come from, and see what you are now."

Yuma felt from Black Mist that he was pleased to hear that from the boy, but also that he was grateful to hear that Yuma was so sure, like always, that his family loved him and wanted to know that he was alright, that his friends did too, everyone back home. Black Mist felt himself blush suddenly and looked away. He felt very self conscious, and he knew that Yuma knew exactly what he was feeling. He fidgeted for a moment, then at last sighed and turned to look at Yuma as well.

"_I think you're very special,_" Black Mist began, wondering on what he was supposed to say. "_You're not like anyone I've ever met. Back home it was different. No one really spoke to me other than my family. Everyone feared me because I was different. The only Barians I knew were those associated with Don Thousand, those that thought what he was doing was right and served him of their own free will. But even when you first summoned me from the Key I knew you were different. There was something oddly innocent about you. Even before our minds were bonded like this, you never hid anything from me. You just told me everything even though you hardly knew me. You would always smile and be friendly even when I wasn't. You never gave up. Your strength was not anything I knew either. It wasn't physical, but your strength was the most powerful I had ever felt, full of kindness and compassion and the need to help others. You might not have the physical strength like I do when I have helped you, but you've helped me so much more than that, and I somehow feel like I have to pay you back for it. You're a bit clumsy and a bit goofy,_" Black Mist smiled suddenly. "_But you're kind and you love to help others. And because of that I like you as a person._"

Both paused then and looked at each other. Their eyes met, and a silence seemed to stretch between them. There was an understanding between them. They understood each other well already. They understood the other perhaps a little more than they even understood themselves. They hadn't been with each other long, but they had been with each other nonstop. For a moment, neither spoke, but neither had to. But both suddenly felt like they needed to speak, as if words would make true the emotions that the other could already sense through their minds. At last, Black Mist leaned forward, whispering into Yuma's ear.

"_Yuma I love you,_" Black Mist said.

Both shivered a little at the sound of those words. But it wasn't a bad feeling. It felt good to hear those words. Black Mist was pleased to see Yuma smile. It wasn't the big goofy grin that he usually gave people, but a small one, a tender one, one that Black Mist realized was reserved only for him. Slowly Black Mist leaned forward again, taking Yuma's shoulders and turning the boy towards him, and then he kissed him.

Neither had ever kissed anyone before, and neither were really sure what they were supposed to do. But what they were doing now felt good so they decided it was better than nothing. Yuma felt a blush beginning to creep up onto his face, but it wasn't the burning hot blush of shame he had felt before, but a lighter one, a rosy and gentle touch. Black Mist sensed it too through the boy's mind and smiled a little. Then he pulled Yuma closer to his chest as his tongue explored the new domain. He was very careful that he didn't hurt Yuma with his claw like fingernails. He knew from other times just how much damage something like that could do. But the boy didn't really seem to notice that much. Yuma closed his eyes.

Black Mist paused a moment, because he sensed such trust from the boy. There was just so much trust there. He hadn't even known that Yuma had trusted him at all. He felt sure that he'd hurt the boy so many times before, and acted so rudely, that there would be no way he could have trusted him. But there was no denying the feeling now. Black Mist suddenly felt a need to protect that trust, and the love that he felt inside his own chest. Black Mist had been alone in the dark too long to not feel that way. Yuma pulled away, letting both of them pull apart for air. He knew that this was something that he felt from Black Mist that was not only possessive, but bordered on obsession. But he also knew that Black Mist had been hurt a lot. He decided that they'd have to work on that too if it became too unhealthy for him.

Black Mist sighed, probably the most contented sound Yuma had ever heard him make. He leaned back against the wall again. Yuma didn't hesitate to lean against Black Mist's chest, nuzzling closer to it and wrapping his arms around Black Mist's waist. Black Mist in turn wrapped his arms around Yuma, pulling him closer and resting his chin on the boy's head. For a while they just sat this way, listening to the steady stream of emotions from the other and the sounds of the night. It was slightly chilly, but neither felt cold. The other was warm and full of life.

"I guess Don Thousand was good for one thing," Yuma said quietly, surprising Black Mist a little. "If he hadn't come around then we wouldn't have met. We wouldn't have met anyone we have. It's brought the three worlds together. Who knows? Maybe we'll all be better for it." Black Mist felt a smile touch his lips and he laid a gentle kiss on Yuma's forehead.

"_Maybe you're right,_" he purred gently. "_I can't forgive him for what he did to me, and we can't forget what he's done to us and those we love. But still, it brought us together. And I'm thankful for that._"

It was a little odd. They'd hardly known each other, and yet the love they felt was strong and real. But with their minds so close, they had bonded far faster than anyone had thought was possible. It was already something that wouldn't be broken. It made Yuma wonder for just a moment, if it could only grow stronger until they reached the point of Zexal, then what would it be? Something like that would be something to reckon with indeed. Yuma looked up.

"Black Mist," Yuma said with those strangely innocent eyes of his. "I know what Zexal is, but are there other myths about it from your people? Other things we should know? If we have to achieve it, then shouldn't we know all we can?"

"_I guess so,_" Black Mist said. "_You don't really know much about it do you? Your people don't really know that much._" Yuma suddenly felt from Black Mist that he was worried that he had offended him. "_Not that your people are stupid. I just meant that-_" Yuma kissed his chin and then nuzzled closer to his chest again with an amused smile.

"I know what you meant," he assured him. Black Mist sighed and settled down again, pulling Yuma a little closer and laying his chin down on the boy's head again.

"_I know you do,_" Black Mist said. Then he was quiet a moment, thinking. At last he sighed and began to speak. "_Well there are many myths. But I think this one is more appropriate. Zexal of course was the power that took over once people stopped using Chaos. Don Thousand didn't like this of course, and that's why our war began with the Barians in the first place. Eventually he was sealed away, and no one uses Chaos anymore. But many people used to use Zexal. Before this time it was a rare power, and few people could do it. It was said too that __very few__ could achieve a perfect Zexal, one where both souls are so combined in both physical and mental state that they spoke as one and created the most powerful type of Zexal. There are also many forms of Zexal, and they can evolve and grow stronger as time passes by. There are also many kinds of Zexal._"

"Kinds?" Yuma asked.

"_Yes,_" Black Mist replied. "_Kinds. Just as there are types to Monsters, Zexal have types as well. There are dark and light types, fire and water, and many other kinds. Each is created from the pair themselves, the more dominant one would often decide the type. If we achieved Zexal I'd imagine we'd be a Dark Zexal. I'm still rather dark myself._" This seemed to upset Black Mist a little.

"But that doesn't mean we're evil," Yuma assured him. "Just because we're a dark type doesn't make us evil. No one can chose their nature, but neither can we run from it. I'm not afraid of being a dark type, just as I'm not afraid of you. I know I can trust you. Because we'll be so dark our light will shine out even brighter."

Black Mist was quiet for a while. He seemed to be thinking. But he also seemed very relieved by the words that Yuma had spoken. Without really thinking about it the alien pulled Yuma a little closer to his chest, instinctively seeking comfort from the boy. Yuma could sense this too, not emotionally because Black Mist wasn't thinking about it, but he could feel that he needed it somewhere in the back of his mind. Yuma snuggled a little closer in response, perfectly fine to give the boy the comfort that he needed. Black Mist realized this and smiled a little at the boy. He left a lingering kiss on his forehead for a moment. Then he continued again.

"_They say that no one has completely a perfect Zexal for a long time,_" Black Mist said. "_Because these people only appear when there are times of great trial, and heroes need to rise. Those who can preform Zexal are always the same gender as their other half. And they understand each other well. But to preform a perfect Zexal, it's said that the two souls must be so similar and yet so different that they resonate. Some people call people like this soul mates, and though the word is tossed around, a true soul mate is a powerful force when combined with its mate. However, even though Don Thousand is weakened he is still strong. By the time we get around to ever actually getting close to defeating him, he will be more powerful than any foe we will ever face. His Chaos is strong. I don't want to endanger you against it, but I also know that if we can reach Zexal then we'll be the only thing standing between him and the goal of destroying all three worlds that he so desires._"

"In that case," Yuma said with high spirits. "Then we'll just have to reach Zexal. And not only that. If he's as powerful as you say then we can't just defeat him, we'll have to do what your ancestors didn't have the power to do. We'll have to destroy him once and for all, so he can't hurt anyone else ever again. I don't like the idea, but it would be better if his infection was gone from this world. We'll have to reach the perfect Zexal, and be the heroes that we have to be. Not for fame or glory, but to finally end this cycle of hatred. It's existed for too long."

Black Mist paused, looking down at Yuma for a minute. He was surprised a little bit. He knew that Yuma hated death or killing, but he also knew that if push came to shove Yuma would shove back. He wasn't a helpless crybaby, and he wasn't going to just roll over and give up if there was even a slim chance that he could defeat Don Thousand and save everyone. Then again, he wasn't surprised. As goofy as Yuma seemed at times, he was very kind, and he also had a strong sense of justice. He knew that Don Thousand's plan to destroy and make himself into some sort of God figure was wrong. And he knew he had to stop it. Suddenly, Black Mist felt proud of Yuma. When they'd first met, Yuma had been rather skittish. But he'd grown as much as Black Mist had. Black Mist laid a gentle kiss on Yuma's cheek, surprising the boy a little. But then Yuma gave Black Mist that big goofy grin that he was so fond of and laughed a little.

"_You're right of course,_" Black Mist said with a purr. "_That's exactly what we'll do. It sounds a little cliché, becoming heroes and all that. And it sounds odd for me to say that when everyone thought I would grow up to be evil._"

"This just proves that you aren't," Yuma said with a smile. "Sometimes the best heroes were born first as villains."

"_What do you mean by that?_" Black Mist asked.

"Well," Yuma said. "Don Thousand tried to make you like himself. But you fought that, and even though your people thought you became everything they'd ever told you that you would be, you're going to prove them wrong. You were born first as a villain, but deep inside you never were. So you are being reborn as a hero."

"_You make some strange connections,_" Black Mist said with a chuckle. "_But I guess it makes enough sense for me to understand what you're saying. I hope I can prove that I really am a hero._"

"You already have," Yuma said.

Black Mist was more grateful for those words than he could ever express, but he didn't have to. Yuma could sense it and gave a contented smile, happy to stay just like this for a while. They both were. And for a few long minutes nothing but silence lapsed between them. But they didn't need to say any words. They could sense it all between the two of them. Yuma closed his eyes for a while, trusting Black Mist to keep any eye out for any danger. There hadn't been any around here at all, but it touched Black Mist all the same. Even though Black Mist was severely crippled by the fact that he couldn't see out of one of his eyes, he was glad that Yuma trusted him that much.

Several minutes passed uneventfully in the silence, and then both paused. Someone had been passing by and knocked something over, forcing it to fall with a loud bang. They obviously panicked a little, hoping that it didn't make as much noise as it had. They froze. Yuma's eyes flew open, and he started looking around. Black Mist pulled Yuma closer protectively and let out a soft and low growl, looking in the direction of the sound. They could see nothing. Carefully Black Mist released Yuma and floated towards the door, keeping Yuma behind him as much as he could, though the boy's curiosity made him want to creep forward as well to see. They paused at what they saw.

It looked to be a human child not much older than Yuma. His skin was a darker shade than Yuma's, speaking perhaps of a life in the sun. His hair and eyes were brown, though his hair was spiked a little at an odd angle, almost like a crown perhaps. He looked very nervous, and he kept casting glances around himself. He was wearing a bright red jacket though, which made him stand out a lot. It was almost a little surprising to see him looking so nervous and yet wearing something that almost made him glow in the night.

The stranger turned, and when he caught sight of them he froze. He looked panicked a moment, until he saw Black Mist since he blended in so well with the darkness, and looked very surprised to see an Astrian at all. He stopped moving, watching the two of them carefully. Black Mist and Yuma were both interested to see him looking like that. He obviously knew exactly what Black Mist was, but he didn't really seem inclined to attack them like Don Thousand's henchmen were. For a minute they sat there. Black Mist was naturally suspicious of him. But he didn't move for a while, just watching them as they were watching him. At last Yuma stepped around Black Mist a little.

"Who are you?" he asked.

It was obvious by the way the stranger shifted nervously that he didn't really want to give out that information. Again they were surprised. What would make him not want to say his name? Was he hiding something as well? He seemed very suspicious of them as well, and watched them closely. For a while he said nothing.

"Do you work for him?" he asked carefully. "Don Thousand?"

"_Of course not,_" Black Mist instantly snarled back. "_Why would we serve him? We only just got away from him again._"

Black Mist had been testing him with this response, trying to see how he was going to respond to that statement. The stranger instantly became slightly less wary and more interested in them. His eyes raised a little towards them and narrowed, trying to see if they were telling the truth. He obviously had a deep mistrust of Don Thousand. And it seemed like he was very inclined to distrust anything that Black Mist said. So Yuma stepped forward with a smile. It was the same goofy but inviting smile that he had given to Black Mist before. Black Mist knew from experience that it could make people pause, something so innocent and trustworthy was in that gaze. The stranger too paused, watching carefully.

"It's alright," Yuma said. "We don't work for Don Thousand. We're trying to stop him. That's why we're hunting numbers. He captured us for a while, but we refused to help him. Lias sent us back here."

"Lias did?" the stranger gasped.

Nearly instantly his distrusting attitude melted away. He even offered Yuma a smile, this one also slightly goofy. Black Mist decided that he had a very open and friendly personality. And since he knew who Lias was he knew that they were telling the truth. A kid like Yuma wouldn't just come up with a name like Lias off the top of their head. Also the fact that Black Mist had replied so venomously to his previous statement about working for Don Thousand had convinced him that they weren't lying and he obviously had decided that they weren't his enemy. He glanced up at Black Mist, noticing how he had bristled at him, but then crossed the space in between them until he got closer.

"Hey," he said. "Maybe we got off the wrong start, but you can't be too careful you know."

"I understand," Yuma said with a smile. "My name is Yuma." he glanced at Black Mist who was scowling. "And the Astrian with the sour face is Black Mist."

"Nice to meet you," the stranger said, also glancing at Black Mist in an attempt to calm him down a little. He really didn't seem to like him.

"_And why don't you tell us your name?_" Black Mist growled. "_I can tell you're a Barian in human form._"

Yuma instantly understood why he seemed to dislike him because he thought he was keeping secrets. Black Mist and Barians didn't really have a good history between them. The Barian seemed to be nervous again. He looked down and scuffed one foot a moment, then looked up. He was trying to decide what he was going to do. He couldn't really easily trust Yuma and Black Mist. He looked around for a while, then glanced at Black Mist again. It was obvious even to him that Black Mist didn't seem to like him very much. At last he sighed.

"Alright," he said. "But if I tell you my name you have to promise not to tell anyone, even if you don't have any clue who I am. It's dangerous."

"We won't tell," Yuma promised, a little confused. Black Mist crossed his arms but nodded his consent.

"It's Alit," the stranger replied.

Yuma looked like he'd heard the name before, though he wasn't sure where, but Black Mist obviously knew exactly who he was and didn't seem to like it much either. Alit shifted a little as he looked at Black Mist, who seemed to distrust him even more.

"_You're one of the Barian Emperors,_" Black Mist growled distrustfully.

"I am," Alit admitted. "But I want to stop Don Thousand as much as you do. He hurt my friends really badly, and now they think I'm dead. But I don't know where they other two are or where to find them."

"You're one of the three that escaped from Don Thousand," Yuma said, gasping in recognition. Alit gave them a small smile.

"Yep," he said. "And that's why I have to stop him."

Black Mist watched him a while. It was obvious that he wasn't sure that he completely trusted his story. He kept his head turned at the odd angle he used to directly look at someone with his left eye and completely see them. Alit didn't seem to mind this. At last Black Mist seemed to decide that he passed the test. He didn't see anything truly untrustworthy about Alit, and so he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"_What are you doing that you're so worked up about then?_" Black Mist asked.

"Something crazy and probably stupid," came the response. "It's really dangerous, and I probably can't do it alone. But if I can succeed then it'll help us end this war once in for all. But first I got to find it."

"You're looking for something?" Yuma asked.

"Someone," Alit corrected. "Hey, can I count on you guys to help me when the time comes? It'll be dangerous, but if we can pull it off then Don Thousand's defenses against all of us trying to stop him will be crippled."

"_Before we agree,_" Black Mist said. "_You have to tell us what we're getting ourselves into._"

"Fair enough," Alit agreed instantly with a shrug. "I want to find Vector. If we can free him and somehow bring him back to his senses then Don Thousand's hold on the other Barian Emperors will loosen. Then if we show them that the three of us that escaped are still alive they will be more willing to fight back and possibly escape with some help."

"So to help us defeat Don Thousand," Yuma summarized. "you want to free the Barian people and make them willing to fight again. It'll cripple Don Thousand. He's powerful, but he isn't powerful enough to withstand an entire people."

"_It wouldn't stop him,_" Black Mist said thoughtfully. "_He still has many loyal supporters on probably all three planets. But it would definitely slow him down._"

"The problem would be dealing with Vector," Alit sighed. "I'm not sure how we'd get him anything close to what he was. I don't expect him to be the same but...I'd rather have Vector sane again than have to live with the guilt of not helping him any longer." He truly did seem guilty about it. Both Black Mist and Yuma watched him a moment.

"Leave that to me," Yuma said. "I've done it before, and I can do it again! You help us get in and we can take care of the rest!"

"Do you really think you can?" Alit asked.

"_Of course he can,_" Black Mist said, looking towards Yuma. "_He did the same with me. Don Thousand tried the same trick with me, only Yuma managed to snap me out of it._" Alit stared at Black Mist a moment.

"It was you," Alit said with realization. "You're the one that we freed." Black Mist nodded.

"Alright then," Yuma said with a smile. "We'll help you."

Alit suddenly smiled and seemed to start bouncing a little. He reminded Yuma of a kid with ADHD. He was so full of energy, so open and friendly. He had a good personality through and through, and it made Yuma understand how his friends would miss him if they thought he was dead. Maybe he was a bit annoying, overbearing, or had some other fault that they had yet to see. But he was a good person and friendly. He would be a good friend, and like all good friends he would fight with his friends sometimes and make them angry. But it would be all the more painful to think he was gone because he had disappeared from their lives. Only such good friends could fight that much. And Yuma wouldn't know what he'd do if he'd lost someone like that who was close to him.

Even Black Mist couldn't help but feel a both a little annoyed and cheered up by that hyperactive smile. But he just had that sort of vibe, one that would make you feel good if you were upset or feeling down. He understood why he said the Barian Emperors weren't fighting back. He wasn't sure about the other two that had escaped, but he was sure they had qualities about them that had made them good friends and lovable as well, though they were sure to have some that made them the opposite too. He could understand why they wouldn't have the will to fight back. If they were already unable to and then they thought they'd lost some of their friends and hurt another they would feel very guilty. They probably didn't have the will to fight back. He suddenly thought of Astral, and wondered if he felt the same kind of guilt for him.

But then Alit smiled and took off running, waving to them as he did. He raised his hand and opened a portal, this one red in color and spinning quickly. It almost seemed to be as hyperactive as he was. Both of them watched him.

"I'll keep in touch," he called.

With that Alit jumped through the portal and disappeared with it, leaving only a few red particles floating in the air for a moment. Both of them watched after him a moment, very confused. He hadn't said how he'd keep in touch, and they were still a little surprised about the sudden request. But they'd already agreed to help, and to keep his secret. At this point, other than collecting the numbers which was a slow process, they didn't have much of a plan for defeating Don Thousand. This finally gave them one.

But that didn't mean that Alit didn't suddenly make them feel drained. How on Earth could he have that much energy in the middle of the night? Suddenly remembering that it was the middle of the night after all, they returned to the house and both curled up again, sleeping soundly. And this time there were no nightmares, only dreams of somewhat confusing plans to free a person they'd never met.

* * *

><p><strong>And that was for two reasons: 1. because I can. And 2. because I needed to get something else involved in the plot. I think some of you might be disappointed that I chose Alit, but I chose him for some reasons that I think I explained a bit in the chapter. I plan to use that later as well. Also, Vector's insanity will be different from Black Mist's, and it will be a little easier to cure. He'll become more like "Rei" was in the anime, and fairly friendly though probably a little lonely at times as well. But he also won't pull as many pranks because well, you know. Don Thousand. I'm still not 100% sure on his personality type yet because it'll still be a while before we get to that point, but that's something to look forward to.<strong>

**In the next chapter Astral and Shark will meet up with Black Mist and Yuma, and we'll get some more things in the story line moving in the right direction. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll get to work on the next one!**


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